The Report Card with Nat Malkus

AEI Podcasts
  • 4.7 (16)
  • EDUCATION FOR KIDS
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY
The Report Card with Nat Malkus

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. FEB 19

    Credit Recovery (with Carolyn J. Heinrich)

    Graduation rates have been rising for over a decade. Indeed, even during the pandemic, as students learned less and chronic absenteeism exploded, graduation rates continued to rise. One important part of this story might be the rise of credit recovery programs. Each year, credit recovery programs help students who have failed a course continue their schooling without repeating a year. But what exactly are credit recovery programs? How do students who participate in online credit recovery programs fare later in life? Can credit recovery courses be improved? And if so, how? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with Carolyn J. Heinrich. Carolyn J. Heinrich is a University Distinguished Professor of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations and Political Science and the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy, Education and Economics at Vanderbilt University. Show Notes: Design Principles for Effective Online Credit Recovery Failing to Learn from Failure: The Facade of Online Credit Recovery Assessments Does Online Credit Recovery in High School Support or Stymie Later Labor Market Success? Mapping the Inequity Implications of Help-Seeking in Online Credit-Recovery Classrooms

    1h 6m

  2. FEB 5

    The NAEP 2024 Rundown (with Marty West and Mark Schneider)

    On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with Marty West and Mark Schneider about 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results in 4th and 8th grade reading and math. Nat, Marty, and Mark discuss why math scores went up or stayed flat while reading scores declined; potential bright spots in the 2024 results; whether recent score declines should be attributed to factors external to schooling; what makes NAEP the gold standard assessment of US students; what the Florida Commissioner of Education’s recent critique of NAEP gets wrong (and right); how NAEP compares to state assessments; NAEP Proficiency and the increasing number of students performing Below Basic; potential lessons from 2024 NAEP results; and more. Martin West is the vice chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees NAEP. He is also the academic dean and Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the editor-in-chief of Education Next, and a member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Mark Schneider is a nonresident Senior Fellow at AEI. Previously, he was commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which administers NAEP, and was later the director of the Institute of Education Sciences, which houses NCES. Show Notes: NAEP Math Results NAEP Reading Results States’ Demographically Adjusted Performance on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress Make the National Assessment of Educational Progress Great Again

    59 min

  3. JAN 22

    Told a Story (with Emily Hanford)

    In 2022, Sold a Story debuted, bringing renewed attention—and scrutiny—to literacy instruction. Indeed, since Sold a Story came out, at least 25 states have passed reading laws. On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with Emily Hanford, host of Sold a Story. Nat and Emily discuss why Sold a Story took off, the impact Sold a Story has had on the literacy landscape, the state of investigative journalism in 2025, the pros and cons of podcasting, common misunderstandings of Sold a Story, and more. Emily Hanford is a senior correspondent and producer at APM Reports and the host of Sold a Story, which was the second most shared show on Apple Podcasts in 2023. New episodes of Sold a Story will be coming out in February. Show Notes: Sold a Story 'There's a thoughtfulness about reading in the country today' New Reading Laws Sweep the Nation Following Sold a Story

    56 min

  4. JAN 8

    Learning in War-Time (with Russ Roberts)

    This past spring, protests over the war in Gaza roiled college campuses across America. But what sort of effect has the war in Gaza had on college campuses in Israel? What is the mood like on campus when many students are called up to fight? Do courses in the liberal arts feel less relevant in the middle of a war? And how do the practicalities of war affect day-to-day academic operations? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions—and more—with Russ Roberts, president of Shalem College in Jerusalem. Nat and Russ discuss how higher education in Israel is different than higher education in America; what makes Shalem College unique; how the war has affected academic life at Shalem College; whether older students are more receptive to a liberal arts education; what it’s like running a startup college; studying under Gary Becker; how campus protests in America appear from Israel; the effects of Israeli dynamism on campus life; the state of economics; educating leaders; and more. Russ Roberts is the president of Shalem College, the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the author of several books, and the host of EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious. Show Notes: The New Normal A Little Light Amid the Darkness The Sirens of Israel

    1h 1m

  5. 12/30/2024

    2024 in Review

    We are now coming to the end of another year. What were the biggest stories in education this year? What stories didn’t get as much attention as they should have? And what can we expect from the coming year? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with three education journalists: Dana Goldstein of The New York Times, Linda Jacobson of The 74, and Eric Kelderman of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Show Notes: The Youngest Pandemic Children Are Now in School, and Struggling The Death of School 10 Texas Has Big Goals for College Completion. In Places Like the Coastal Bend, How to Get There Is Still Murky. The Distortions of Joan Donovan When a Department Self-Destructs In a State With School Vouchers for All, Low-Income Families Aren’t Choosing to Use Them

    52 min

  6. 12/11/2024

    Do Exceptional Students Need Exceptional Mentors? (with Ian Calaway)

    Exceptional students often become exceptional adults who help drive scientific progress and economic growth. But without mentors to identify and develop their talents, many of these exceptional students will not make good on their potential. So: How can we make sure that more exceptional students have access to the mentors they need? How exceptional do these mentors need to be? And how many exceptional students are we currently missing out on? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with Ian Calaway. Ian Calaway is a PhD candidate in Economics at Stanford University and the author of the recent paper Early Mentors for Exceptional Students. He is currently on the academic job market. Show Notes: Early Mentors for Exceptional Students

    53 min

  7. 11/27/2024

    Cognitive Load Theory, Explicit Teaching, and Bringing Research Into the Classroom (with Greg Ashman)

    Many education researchers spend a lot of time studying how students learn, but if their findings don’t make their way into the classroom, they are only so useful. For example, researchers have known about the benefits of phonics for decades, but despite these benefits, many teachers were not using phonics in their classrooms. So: Why don’t research-based practices make their way into the classroom? What research-based practices that aren’t currently well-known among teachers should teachers try to implement? And if a school wants to promote a research-backed approach among its teachers, how should it go about doing that? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with Greg Ashman. Nat and Greg discuss why many teachers in education programs learn about learning styles, but not phonics or behavior management; the many different meanings of explicit teaching and direct instruction; cognitive load theory and the importance of understanding the constraints of working memory; how schools can approach curriculum and teacher training more systematically; field trips, group work, and spaced repetition; the importance of creating a coherent school culture; and how to get interventions to stick. Greg Ashman is the Deputy Principal at Ballarat Clarendon College in Ballarat, Australia, and the author of three books on instructional practice. His Substack is Filling the Pail. Show Notes: Filling The Pail A Little Guide for Teachers: Cognitive Load Theory The Power of Explicit Teaching and Direct Instruction The Truth About Teaching: An Evidence-Informed Guide for New Teachers Principles of Instruction: Research-Based...

    1h 1m

  8. 11/13/2024

    What the 2024 Elections Mean for Education

    What will last Tuesday’s elections mean for education? Will President Trump actually eliminate the Department of Education? What does the future of school choice look like? Will Democrats and Republicans team up on workforce issues? And who will be the next secretary of education? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions and more with Derrell Bradford, Preston Cooper, Ginny Gentles, Heather Harding, and Rick Hess. Derrell Bradford is the president of 50CAN: The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now. Preston Cooper is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he works on higher education ROI, student loans, and higher education reform. Virginia Gentles is the director of the Education Freedom and Parental Rights Initiative at the Defense of Freedom Institute. Heather Harding is the executive director of the Campaign for Our Shared Future. Frederick M. Hess is the director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and an affiliate of AEI’s James Q. Wilson Program in K–12 Education Studies, where he works on K–12 and higher education issues. Note: This episode is adapted from an American Enterprise Institute event held on November 6. A video recording of the event can be found here.

    1h 9m
See All (173)

Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
16 Ratings

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.

Information

More From AEI Podcasts

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada