The Education Show

Alexander Russo's The Grade
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Taking a Closer Look at Education News alexanderrusso.substack.com

  1. 4d ago

    Indie journos tackle predator podcast

    You can also watch our interviews on YouTube or listen to them on Spotify or Apple podcasts. A charismatic teacher. A vulnerable student. A student journalist who thinks the school’s not telling the truth. In some ways, the new six-part podcast series Not Just a Terrible Story might remind you of other recent podcasts about school sexual misconduct — in particular KUOW’s recent Adults In The Room. However, there are at least three things that stand out about the series: First, co-producers Sydney Gladu and Katy Klein tackled an enormous story that includes a broader set of different kinds of school sexual misconduct. Second, they adopted a trauma-informed approach recommended by expert Charol Shakeshaft that includes both a warning at the start of each episode and an organization and website to reach out to at the end. Last but not least, they did this all — a sprawling investigation and high-quality production — without the benefit of a traditional newsroom, which is the first such instance that I can recall. In this new interview, Klein and Gladu talk about how they first came up with the idea, built trust with their main source while remaining independent, and what parts of the series they’re most excited about. “This whole story might not be possible in a traditional newsroom,” they tell me after our conversation. “There’s the bandwidth and budget parameters that newsrooms are constantly faced with, but also this story doesn’t have a timely news hook.” “Also, the trauma-informed approach we took with Stacie and other survivors would be harder to execute with the deadlines of traditional newsrooms.” The podcast has been recently written up in Bend, Oregon’s The Source. Read about the behind the scenes thinking that’s gone into the podcast here. Previously from The Grade Student reporters, classroom predators, & journalism ethics (featuring KUOW’s Isolde Raftery) The missing ingredient in sexual misconduct stories (featuring Charol Shakeshaft) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alexanderrusso.substack.com/subscribe

    Indie journos tackle predator podcast

  2. 5d ago

    Want more readers? Train more journalists. (featuring Beth Fertig)

    Watch the interview or read the transcript above (or on YouTube). Listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple. If you don’t already know the name Beth Fertig, she was for many years one of the best New York City education reporters out there — fearless, savvy about big-city education politics, and unsentimental in the way that good journalists are. After a five-year stint away from journalism, she’s now heading Press Pass NYC, a nonprofit effort to create more student newspapers at NYC schools. So far, the organization has partnered with about 40 schools and they’re currently working with a new cohort of 18 teacher fellows from 16 schools. If you’re interested in getting her weekly roundup of student journalism, email her here. Begun five years ago, Press Pass NYC was founded by a teacher who used a student newspaper to engage her under-credited high school students, and came away believing all high schools should have student press. The nonprofit’s programming also helps address the fact that only about a quarter of NYC high schools have a student paper — and that most students don’t even know what a newspaper looks like or what journalism really is. Fertig hopes that familiarizing more kids with journalism will help them in the short run and help the struggling journalism industry in the long run. “What I feel like I’m doing now is course-correcting by doing it within the system in a way, by preparing this next generation and having them — many of them never having even seen a newspaper until they’re working on one.” Previously from The Grade Firsthand news & student voices (featuring Karina Elwood) Student voices missing in coverage of NYC specialized schools debate (by Sophie Mode & Ayana Smith 2019) ‘Better stories’: student-centered schools coverage in Las Vegas featuring Lorraine Longhi Public Radio’s Fertig Thinks Differently About Education News (2015) Video: NYC Education Reporters Talk NYC Schools (2016) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alexanderrusso.substack.com/subscribe

    Want more readers? Train more journalists. (featuring Beth Fertig)

  3. 6d ago

    Is journalism changing too slowly? (featuring Bill Grueskin)

    Watch the interview or read the transcript above (or on YouTube). Listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple. In this new interview, I had the chance to talk with veteran journalist Bill Grueskin about The 69-Year-Old Rookie, his thought-provoking piece in the Columbia Journalism Review about a recent stint he spent working in the Salt Lake Tribune newsroom, as well as another piece he wrote about how sloppy journalism led the New York Times to lose a defamation case for the first time. We talk about the use of reader data, the rise of video, the tensions created by paywalls — the Tribune recently removed its paywall — and whether the paper had changed too much or whether it was changing too slowly. I had the feeling that perhaps the paper — and the journalism industry writ large — might be moving to slowly. My sense is that Grueskin agreed with me only somewhat. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alexanderrusso.substack.com/subscribe

    Is journalism changing too slowly? (featuring Bill Grueskin)

  4. Oct 2

    What teachers & journalists need to understand about AI

    While some educators and journalists are AI-savvy, most aren’t — even as the technology continues to grow. Even as some of them are writing stories about AI or teaching kids about AI literacy. So it’s a good thing that people like AI Edu’s Alex Kotran are around to help increase everyone’s familiarity. In this new interview, Kotran describes how far behind education and journalism are when it comes to AI, and at the same time how important well-trained educators (and, presumably, high-quality journalists) will continue to be. Other notably insights: The politicization of AI writ large, the value of human skills, young peoples’ antipathy towards AI, and how soon AI will start to prompt itself rather than requiring human feedback. Watch the interview or read the transcript above (or on YouTube). Listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple. Recently from The Grade How tech took over (with Audrey Watters) Skepticism — & nuance — needed in edtech coverage (with The 74’s Greg Toppo) Covering edtech like Big Pharma (with the New York Times’ Natasha Singer) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alexanderrusso.substack.com/subscribe

    What teachers & journalists need to understand about AI

  5. Oct 1

    Pisa, power, & the press (featuring Doug Lemov)

    Watch the interview or read the transcript above (or on YouTube). Listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple. Doug “Teach Like a Champion” Lemov has a lot to say about the UK, Teach For America, media coverage of schools, and what education needs to do next. On the UK success story, Lemov points out how little media attention the story has received — a coverage gap he hopes to help fill with an upcoming Education Next article. On the collapse of the school reform movement, Lemov talks about the abdication of authority and all the “reckless, stupid” things that he observed in schools and experienced trying to help teachers be more effective. “If you love kids, have high expectations for them, believe in them, push them hard, challenge them,” says Lemov. “I stand I stand by that. but for sure that for sure that was a dissenting opinion for a while. For sure it it invoked a lot of like anger and attack.” “Was there less interest in our workshops on creating loving, orderly, productive classrooms? Did we spend more of our time talking about different topics with teachers? For sure. Did we lose some some business to a degree? Absolutely that happened.” Lemov also describes the media coverage he’s experienced, both early on (by the Globe) and later (on the cover of the NYT Sunday Magazine). “For the most part, I’ve been the beneficiary of a lot of really thoughtful, gracious coverage that’s been really good for me,” says Lemov. Previously from The Grade PISA poor test scores, missing ed reporters, & 2 new school-focused shows The school reform nobody sees (featuring Charlie Barone) Who killed school reform? (featuring Steven Wilson) What social justice advocates can learn from Nikole Hannah-Jones’ viral essay (featuring Sabrina Stevens) Can Democrats win on education reform? (featuring Rahm Emmanuel) A New Home for Center-Left Education Politics (featuring Alisha Thomas Searcy) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alexanderrusso.substack.com/subscribe

    Pisa, power, & the press (featuring Doug Lemov)

  6. Sep 29

    Screentime limits? No thanks.

    You can also watch our interviews on YouTube or listen to them on Spotify or Apple podcasts. School screentime limits are all that rage these days. However, not everyone is a fan, and among those who are concerned is Instructure’s Tracy Weeks. The company’s most well-known product, Canvas, isn’t the focus of any particular concern that I know of, but it would be negatively affected by any broad-brush screentime limits that a district or state adopted. “There seems to be this temptation to throw the baby out with the bathwater going on right now,” says Weeks, referring to ‘purpose-built’ education technology as opposed to the other kind. “And we don’t want that to happen.” Previously from The Grade Here come screen time limits (featuring ECS’s Lauren Bloomquist) Edtech update: Beyond LAUSD & NYC (featuring NBC’s Tyler Kingkade) A defense of i-Ready, 2026’s edtech poster child (featuring Curriculum Associates’ Ty Holmes) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alexanderrusso.substack.com/subscribe

    Screentime limits? No thanks.

  7. Sep 23

    Hard truths about tech & schools

    Justin Reich is a former high school history teacher, and an associate professor of digital media at MIT who hosts The Homework Machine, a podcast about AI in schools. In this new interview, Reich describes how he no longer thinks device bans don’t work, complains about being inaccurately paraphrased by journalists who interview him, laments how browsers and productivity tools have become impossibly distracting — and explains why he now pushes back when called about Alpha School stories. “What about this small private school that serves a tiny number of super-affluent students is worthy of all of our attention?” Watch the interview or read the transcript above (or on YouTube). Listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple. Read Reich’s companion essay, Teaching in an age of tech-created distractions. Previously from The Grade How tech took over (with Audrey Watters) How edtech lost its inevitability How to immunize schools from bad tech (with Dan Meyer) Education reporting in the age of AI (with Lee Gaines) Skepticism — & nuance — needed in edtech coverage (with Greg Toppo) Shut up about edtech opt-outs (The Principal’s Office) Covering edtech like Big Pharma (with Natasha Singer) We’ve ‘lost the plot’ on edtech, says tech reporter Taylor Lorenz This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alexanderrusso.substack.com/subscribe

    Hard truths about tech & schools

  8. Sep 22

    The missing ingredient in sexual misconduct stories

    School-based sexual misconduct remains a serious problem that many states and districts have not yet taken seriously enough to prevent. Despite a surge of high-quality media coverage, there’s still more to do. Expert Charol Shakeshaft calls on government agencies to take concerted action. And she’s got one specific ingredient she wants reporters and editors to add to their stories: a phone number or website where school sexual misconduct can be reported. “I think it would be really helpful at the end of those stories to say, ‘If you have concerns about something happening in your school, call this number or go to this website and get more information.’” Watch the interview or read the transcript above (or on YouTube). Listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple. Previously from The Grade The heartbreaking work of covering school sexual misconduct (by Danielle DuClos) Is K-12’s #MeToo moment finally here — & will journalism help play a role? How I penetrated a wall of silence to document sexual abuse of Massachusetts students Student reporters, classroom predators, & journalism ethics Roundup: Sexual misconduct in schools This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alexanderrusso.substack.com/subscribe

    The missing ingredient in sexual misconduct stories
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About

Taking a Closer Look at Education News alexanderrusso.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Alexander Russo's The Grade
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Alexander Russo
  • Show Website
    The Education Show

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