The Report Card with Nat Malkus

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The Report Card with Nat Malkus is the education podcast of the American Enterprise Institute. It is a hub for discussing innovative work to improve education – from early childhood to higher education – and the lives of America’s children. It evaluates research, policy, and practice efforts to improve the lives of families, schools and students. The Report Card seeks to engage with everyone who is interested in education in an accessible way. It brings guests that are doing compelling work across a spectrum from high level policy changes to innovations at the classroom level, work that will start conversations about improving education and the lives of children more broadly. Each episode lets listeners – policymakers, teachers, and parents –learn relevant information that they can use in their efforts to improve education.

  1. 24 SEPT

    Why Are Test Scores Falling? (with James Wyckoff and Chad Aldeman)

    Earlier this month, 2024 NAEP scores came out for 8th grade science and 12th grade reading and math, and the results were not good, with students losing ground in each subject. But these declines are not new and they are not only the result of the pandemic: Across a number of tests and subjects, scores have been declining for over a decade, especially for low-performing students. Indeed, while achievement for the top 10 percent of students has remained roughly flat, achievement for the bottom 10 percent of students has fallen precipitously—on many assessments, by well over a year. What might be causing these declines? Is it the rise of phones? The fall of No Child Left Behind? The aftereffects of the Great Recession? A change in the culture of schooling? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus explores these questions and more with James Wyckoff and Chad Aldeman. James Wyckoff is the Memorial Professor of Education and Professor of Public Policy Emeritus at the University of Virginia. Chad Aldeman is the founder of Read Not Guess, the author of Aldeman on Education, and a regular columnist for The 74. Show Notes: Testing Theories of Why: Four Keys to Interpreting US Student Achievement Trends Puzzling Over Declining Academic Achievement Interactive: See How Student Achievement Gaps Are Growing in Your State Don't Blame the Subgroups Student Achievement Is Down Overall—But Kids at the Bottom Are Sinking Faster

    1h 14m

  2. 10 SEPT

    Education and the Second Trump Administration, 233 Days In

    A lot has happened in education over the last couple of months. A new school year started for students across the country. State governors began announcing whether they would be opting in to the new federal tax credit scholarship program. Penny Schwinn, former Education Commissioner of Tennessee, withdrew her nomination to be Linda McMahon’s number two at the Department of Education. A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s shutdown of the Comprehensive Centers and Regional Educational Laboratories was unlawful. And the Trump administration continued waging its battles with elite universities. On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these developments, and more, with Andy Rotherham and Rick Hess. Andrew J. Rotherham is a co-founder and senior partner at Bellwether and the author of the Eduwonk blog. Frederick M. Hess is a senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at AEI. Show Notes: Why Did Penny Schwinn Withdraw Her Bid to Be No. 2 in Trump’s Ed. Dept.? The Greatest Trick Randi Weingarten Ever Pulled. Plus, What’s the Freezing Temperature in Trump World? A Penny for Your Thoughts. Dems in Voucher Disarray. Everyone’s a Hypocrite Restoring Free Inquiry on Campus Tear Down This Wall: The Case for a Radical Overhaul of Teacher Certification Breaking Down The New Federal School Choice Program With Shaka Mitchell Commentary: Virginia Students Deserve Better. Close the ‘Honesty Gap' PragerU Teacher Qualification Test Is Online Sports Betting a Risk to Public Health?

    1h 12m

  3. 27 AUG

    The Competitive Effects of School Choice (with Sarah Cordes)

    Many school choice proponents today focus on what choice does for the students who use it to leave traditional public schools. But one of the original arguments for choice was that, through competition, it would spur traditional public schools to improve. So: Has it? Do choice programs make traditional public schools better? Does the size of these competitive effects depend on the type of choice program? And what other factors might matter for the amount of competitive pressure that choice programs exert on traditional public schools? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with Sarah Cordes. Nat and Sarah discuss ESAs and the new federal tax credit scholarship program, why school transportation matters so much for competitive effects, whether choice programs can be too large, how competition affects school principals, and what effect declining public school enrollments might have on school choice in the coming years. Sarah Cordes is an associate professor of policy, organizational, and leadership studies at Temple University. Show Notes: Competition in Education Markets: Impacts, Perceptions, and Policy Contexts The Effects of Charter Schools on Neighborhood and School Segregation: Evidence from New York City In Pursuit of the Common Good: The Spillover Effects of Charter Schools on Public School Students in New York City

    54 min

  4. 13 AUG

    Adult Interests vs. Student Needs (with Vlad Kogan)

    Over the past decade, schools increasingly have become a battleground for political fights and culture wars that distract from student learning. But, according to a new book, these political fights and culture wars are just one aspect of a much larger and more longstanding problem: schooling is often shaped by the interests of adults. From school boards to partisan identity, from teacher employment to property values, in No Adult Left Behind, Vlad Kogan traces the many ways in which the concerns of adults get in the way of student outcomes. On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these problems, and what to do about them, with Vlad Kogan. Nat and Vlad discuss school boards and state takeovers, how political identity shapes education debates, what the public gets wrong about the Scopes trial and the early twentieth-century push against teaching evolution in schools, why parents seem to undervalue education quality, closing schools with falling enrollments, how racial equity concerns for adults can conflict with racial equity concerns for children, what charter schools can teach us about district governance, and more. Vladimir Kogan is a professor of political science at The Ohio State University and the author of No Adult Left Behind: How Politics Hijacks Education Policy and Hurts Kids.

    1h 11m

  5. 30 JUL

    AI Lessons from Nigeria (with Martín De Simone)

    Some say AI is the future of education, but there are reasons for skepticism, especially if we limit the conversation to the US and other wealthy countries. However, for many regions of the world—particularly for many low- and middle-income countries—there is strong reason to believe that AI has the potential to be transformative. At least in theory, AI can democratize access to higher-quality instruction in a wide range of subjects and provide individualized feedback in overly large classrooms. But does this reasoning hold up in practice? How much of a difference can AI make right now? And how can we ensure that AI produces the outcomes we want? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with Martín De Simone. Martín De Simone is an Education Specialist at the World Bank and, along with Federico Tiberti, Maria Barron Rodriguez, Federico Manolio, Wuraola Mosuro, and Eliot Jolomi Dikoru, is the author of From Chalkboards to Chatbots: Evaluating the Impact of Generative AI on Learning Outcomes in Nigeria.

    55 min

  6. 16 JUL

    Education and the Second Trump Administration, 177 Days In

    A lot has happened in education over the last few weeks. Among other things, Congress passed a national school choice program and reshaped the student loan system. The Justice Department pressured the University of Virginia’s president to step down. And the Trump administration began withholding nearly seven billion dollars in education funds that were set to go out by the beginning of July. On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these developments, and more, with Andy Rotherham and Rick Hess. Note: Since this episode was recorded, twenty-four states have sued the Trump administration for withholding education funds, and the Supreme Court blocked a May order ruling that the Department of Education must reinstate over one thousand employees who were fired earlier in the year. Andrew J. Rotherham is a co-founder and senior partner at Bellwether and the author of the Eduwonk blog. Frederick M. Hess is a senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at AEI. Show Notes: The Impoundment Wars, Begun They Have. Plus, Wait, What Just Happened at UVA?

    1 hr

  7. 25 JUN

    Big Changes to Student Lending in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (with Preston Cooper)

    About one month ago, the House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a massive bill aimed at advancing President Trump’s domestic policy agenda. Now, the bill is with the Senate. Included in the bill are huge changes to student lending. In particular, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would make drastic changes to loan limits, repayment plans, and the rules for which programs are eligible to participate in the student loan program. What is the rationale behind these changes? How would these changes affect students and schools? And will the One Big Beautiful Bill Act become law? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with Preston Cooper. Preston Cooper is a senior fellow at AEI, where he studies higher education policy. He also serves on the Board of Visitors for George Mason University. Show Notes: Senate Embraces “Do No Harm” for Higher Education The Senate’s Higher Education Reforms Are Strong (But Could Be Stronger) How The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” Would Hold Colleges Accountable For Outcomes

    1 hr

  8. 11 JUN

    The Unintended Effects of Increased Technology Access (with Jared Schachner)

    When schools went remote during the pandemic, internet access became essential, but not all students had access to a high-quality connection. So, in the summer of 2020, Chicago launched Chicago Connected to provide free broadband for students in the city who needed it most. But, according to a recent paper, Chicago Connected did not help all students equally. In Heterogeneous Effects of Closing the Digital Divide During COVID-19 on Student Engagement and Achievement, authors Jared N. Schachner, Nicole P. Marwell, Marisa de la Torre, Julia A. Gwynne, and Elaine Allensworth find that participation in Chicago Connected actually “reduced engagement and achievement for low-performing pupils.” What might be going on here? Should this finding influence how schools approach technology more generally? And how can schools ensure that technology use doesn't increase inequality? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with one of the paper's authors, Jared N. Schachner. Jared N. Schachner is a research scientist at the USC Price School of Public Policy and an affiliated researcher with the UChicago Consortium on School Research and the Los Angeles Education Research Institute.

    53 min
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About

The Report Card with Nat Malkus is the education podcast of the American Enterprise Institute. It is a hub for discussing innovative work to improve education – from early childhood to higher education – and the lives of America’s children. It evaluates research, policy, and practice efforts to improve the lives of families, schools and students. The Report Card seeks to engage with everyone who is interested in education in an accessible way. It brings guests that are doing compelling work across a spectrum from high level policy changes to innovations at the classroom level, work that will start conversations about improving education and the lives of children more broadly. Each episode lets listeners – policymakers, teachers, and parents –learn relevant information that they can use in their efforts to improve education.

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