EdFix Podcast
This is EdFix, a podcast about the practice and promise of education. Michael Feuer, host and Dean of GW's Graduate School of Education and Human Development, talks with the people who care about what’s needed to improve our schools and colleges. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers share effective strategies and provocative ideas. And he explores ways to connect their worlds to take on some of education’s most complex issues.
Education is the greatest contributor to our nation's economic and social progress. It requires knowledge, agility, and optimism from many sources in order to learn from our successes and to address what might not be working up to potential. From preschool to postsecondary, get your fix with EdFix!
The EdFix podcast is also available on iTunes, iHeartRADIO, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Player FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Episode 12: Why Accreditation Matters Would you want to be treated by a doctor whose medical school was not accredited? Probably not. So why don’t we hold the same high standards for teachers and school administrators? Dr. Chris Koch, President of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and former Illinois State Superintendent of Education, shares how ensuring quality in teacher/educator prep programs really makes a difference, especially for educators in schools with the most need.
Episode 11: Public Schools As Agile Organizations Can public schools become more adaptive, dynamic, and people-centered organizations? Is it possible to implement change in way that both empowers teachers and improves student outcomes? Sarah Beck, an award-winning school-based leader and former teacher, draws on the skills she learned as a business consultant to help promote school improvement and increase employee engagement in one of Virginia's largest and most diverse middle schools.
Episode 10: The Research-Practice Partnership Advantage Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) create a two-way street between practitioners and researchers to address problems of practice and come up with solutions. Using this research, leaders can make data-informed decisions about the strategies that really work to improve their schools and school districts. Ruth Wattenberg, recently re-elected member of the D.C. State Board of Education, and Elizabeth Grant, visiting associate professor in education policy, discuss the benefits and challenges of a potential RPP for Washington, D.C. in this episode of EdFix.
Episode 9: Improving School Mental Health for Children Living in Poverty How do we better identify, address, and prevent the behavioral health issues that become barriers to learning in our most underserved schools? The Bainum Family Foundation and the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS), part of GW's Milken Institute School of Public Health, are partnering on a project to expand school-based mental health services in D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8. Dr. Olga Acosta Price, Director of CHHCS, and Dr. Nisha Sachdev, Senior Director of Evaluation for the Bainum Family Foundation, share their approach to advancing the field of school mental health by bridging research, practice, policy, and philanthropy.
Episode 8: Tackling Inequality in America - One Foundation's Approach How do we move from understanding inequality to actually reducing inequality? According to Dr. Adam Gamoran, President of the William T. Grant Foundation, we should examine the responses to inequality - and not just its causes - to determine which programs and policies really work. In addition, we need to create incentives for researchers to ask questions whose answers are relevant to the pressing issues facing our most vulnerable populations.
Episode 7: The Charter School Debate In the United States, approximately 5% of children attend charter schools. So why are these schools such a hot topic among educators, advocates, policy makers, politicians, and parents? Dr. Iris Rotberg and Dr. Joshua Glazer, editors of the book Choosing Charters - Better Schools or More Segregation?, discuss the goals, challenges, and outcomes of the charter movement from different perspectives based on their research in the field.
Episode 6: Educating the Cybersecurity Workforce Should every student graduate from high school or college with a basic level of cybersecurity proficiency? And how do we best prepare - and encourage - the next generation to join the cybersecurity workforce? Host Michael Feuer speaks with Dr. Diana Burley, an internationally-recognized cybersecurity expert who led the taskforce to produce the first set of global cybersecurity curricular guidelines, about the field's global workforce shortage and diversity gap, the power of the human-cyber interaction, and the many opportunities and risks we all face as users of technology in today's world.
Episode 5: Community Schools - Responding to Neighborhood Needs Recorded live from the Community Schools National Forum 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland, host Michael Feuer speaks with education leaders about the goals and impact of community schools on students, families, and communities. The Forum, which takes place every two years, brings together more than 2,000 teachers, administrators, community advocates, families, policymakers, and others from around the country who are working in and for community schools. This podcast episode highlights conversations with colleagues from Baltimore’s Promise, Elev8 Baltimore, Family League of Baltimore, Coalition for Community Schools, National League of Cities, and the Institute for Educational Leadership.
Episode 4: "He looks like me!" How a Book Club for Boys Inspired a Culture of Reading at a D.C. School In 2010, only 20% of the students at D.C.’s Truesdell Education Campus could read on grade level. Eight years later, more than 87% can read on or above grade level--and they love reading! How did this school turn it around? Principal Mary Ann Stinson and Assistant Principal Michael Redmond II, both GSEHD doctoral students, share their creative strategies, data-driven approach, and unwavering commitment to closing the opportunity gap in their school community.
Episode 3: The Power and Potential of Positive Psychology for Students with Disabilities Is it possible to teach students to develop traits such as optimism, growth mindset, hope, perseverance, and resilience to help improve well-being and educational outcomes? Dr. Beth Tuckwiller and Dr. William Dardick talk about their joint research into the field of positive psychology--its potential for changing students' experiences in the classroom and the challenges of measuring its subjective factors.
Episode 2: The State of STEM Education - Arguing from Evidence How do we keep young people interested in science? Has the U.S. caught up with other countries in preparing students for careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)? Dr. Jonathon Grooms discusses the state of STEM education in the U.S. and his research on engaging students in authentic science experiences.
Episode 1: Muslim Youth Identity and the Promise of Public Education Does the promise of American democracy still ring true for young Muslims in the United States today? And what role could schools play in addressing civic engagement for historically marginalized populations? Dr. Arshad Ali discusses his research on Muslim youth identity and the broader purpose of our American political and schooling systems.
Michael J. Feuer is Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development and Professor of Education Policy at the George Washington University, and Immediate Past President of the National Academy of Education.
Dean Feuer is a thoughtful leader, an inspiring professor, and an avid baseball fan. In his time, he has also been a disc jockey, an editor, and a political activist. Dean Feuer grew up in New York, where he attended public schools during an era of tremendous turbulence and transition. So it comes as no surprise that he is committed to tackling the great challenges in education today such as equity, access and inclusion, among others. As a strategic thinker, he supports GSEHD’s continued efforts to advance the profession of education through meaningful research that informs policy and improves practice.