The Education Gadfly Show

The good, the bad, and the best research of 2025 | Episode 999 of The Education Gadfly Show

This week, Mike Petrilli looks back at the highs and lows of education reform in 2025 as we wrap up our final episode of the year.Then, on the Research Minute, David Griffith closes things out with a countdown of his top five studies of 2025—plus one bonus pick.Recommended content:Wonkathon 2025: What will make science of reading laws succeed? —Thomas B. Fordham Institute2025 Eddies —PIE NetworkWas 2025 a good year for education reform? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDHave you subscribed to Schooled? Don’t miss out on the education reform community’s hot takes! Click the link below:https://schooledbymikepetrilli.substack.com/David’s Top Research Minutes of 20255. Gender Gaps in the Early Grades: Questioning the Narrative that Schools are Poorly Suited to Young BoysFeatured in Episode 9884. How Test Optional Policies in College Admissions Disproportionately Harm High-Achieving Applicants from Disadvantaged BackgroundsFeatured in Episode 9553. When Decentralization Works: Leadership, Local Needs, and Student AchievementFeatured in Episode 9852. The Effects of Universal School Vouchers on Private School Tuition and Enrollment: A National AnalysisFeatured in Episode 9861. Who Wants to Be a Teacher in America?Featured in Episode 992Bonus: The Impact of Cell Phone Bans in Schools: Evidence From FloridaSee also: Cutting the cord: Early evidence on cellphone policy implementation —Alicia Anderson, Thomas B. Fordham Institute--Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.orgShareSubscribe now

Is the “college enrollment crisis” a myth? | Episode 998 of The Education Gadfly Show

This week, we’re joined by Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat’s Ideas editor, to unpack whether college enrollment is truly declining—or whether the national narrative has gotten ahead of the data. Then, on the Research Minute, Fordham’s new national research manager Brian Fitzpatrick highlights evidence from D.C. Public Schools showing that teacher monitoring improves instruction and student outcomes—especially for teachers under pressure to raise test scores. Recommended content: Is college enrollment really plummeting? — Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat IdeasIt’s Too Early to Write Off College Degrees —Callum Borchers, The Wall Street JournalDoes Monitoring Change Teacher Pedagogy and Student Outcomes? —Aaron Phipps, Journal of Labor Economics, The University of Chicago Press Journals (2025)--Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

Moving from science of reading laws to science of reading success | Episode 996 of The Education Gadfly Show

This week, we’re joined by Wonkathon winner Eric Tucker—CEO and president of The Study Group—to talk about his first-place entry on what it will take for the science of reading laws to succeed.Then, on the Research Minute, David Griffith highlights a study showing how much valuable information is lost when individual test questions are collapsed into a single score—and why states could produce better value-added measures by using the rich data they already collect.  Recommended content: Science of reading 2.0: Assessment in the service of learning as the backbone of science-powered reading improvement — Edmund W. Gordon and Eric Tucker for the Thomas B. Fordham InstituteWonkathon 2025: What will make science of reading laws succeed? —Thomas B. Fordham InstituteDo Test Scores Misrepresent Test Results? An Item-by-Item Analysis —Jesse Bruhn, Michael Gilraine, Jens Ludwig, and Sendhil Mullainathan, EdWorkingPapers (2025)--Don’t miss our December 4 webinar, Implementation Is Where It’s At: What’s Next for the Science of Reading?, happening at 3:00 p.m. ET.Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

How AI is reshaping what kids need to learn | Episode 995 of The Education Gadfly Show

This week, Mike Petrilli returns for a solo episode to dig into artificial intelligence—not classroom tools or teaching tips, but the big-picture implications of AI for what students need to learn as work, citizenship, and even human flourishing rapidly evolve.Then, on the Research Minute, David Griffith highlights a study linking the recent rise in child labor violations to declining school attendance—especially among Black youth and students living on farms.Recommended content: A “Zero-Based Budgeting” Approach for High School Course Requirements in the Age of AI — Michael J. Petrilli for The Center on Reinventing Public EducationThe illusion of learning: The danger of artificial intelligence for education — Robert Pondiscio, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteAI Will Transform The Workplace. Will Education Keep Up? — Matt Gandal, ForbesContemporary Child Labor and Declining School Attendance in the U.S —Lucy C. Sorensen, Melissa Arnold Lyon, Ji Hyun Byeon, and Stephen B. Holt, EdWorkingPapers (2025)--Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

What’s at stake if federal oversight of IDEA weakens? | Episode 994 of The Education Gadfly Show

This week, we’re joined by longtime special education advocate Elizabeth Yancy Bostic to discuss what could happen for students with disabilities if federal oversight and enforcement of IDEA are scaled back. Drawing on more than two decades of experience supporting families, including her own, as they navigate services, Elizabeth explains why strong oversight matters and what is at risk for students and districts when those safeguards erode.Then, on the Research Minute, David Griffith shares a study from Sweden that tracks the long-term outcomes of students attending for-profit versus nonprofit charter high schools.Recommended content: ‘Educational exile’: How Trump’s layoffs threaten students with disabilities — Susan Haas, Education WeekCRPE on special education: Great diagnosis, wrong prescription — Chester E. Finn, Jr., Thomas B. Fordham InstituteSchooling for Profit: Long-run Effects of Private Providers in Public Education —Petter Berg (2025) Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org