The Harvard EdCast

The upcoming election has the potential to greatly shift the landscape many superintendents are working in around the nation. The work of superintendents has never been more challenging, say Senior Lecturer Jennifer Cheatham and Claremont Graduate University Professor Carl Cohn, given the ongoing polarization today. That divide is impacting superintendents day-to-day work, making it incredibly hard to focus on key things like teaching and learning, equity, or even relationship building. “There've always been challenges working with the typical political characters, board members, unions, the stress of the job, supporting communities through crises,” Cheatham says. “These are not necessarily new for them. They're just amplified putting even more pressure and stress on superintendents and resulting probably in even more personal sacrifice.” Superintendent turnover is at an all-time high, with one in every four superintendents considering leaving the job, they say.In this episode of the EdCast, Cohn and Cheatham examine the current state of the superintendency and share ideas on how to manage in fraught times.

19 Okt 202228min

What can happen when parents challenge a curriculum? How can movements against curriculums take hold? There's a lot more to it than you might think, according to University of Hawaii at Manoa Assistant Professor Ethan Chang. Chang's research explores how a group of white parent activists challenged ethnic studies in California, catching the attention of news media nationwide. Although the movement didn't eliminate ethnic studies as part of the curriculum, it had good and bad repercussions. In this episode of the EdCast, Chang details the strategies activists used to challenge the curriculum in California schools, and why it behooves us to better understand the tactics made by counter-curricular movements.

12 Okt 202222min

What does it mean to be a school leader when the unimaginable happens? Frank DeAngelis, retired principal of Columbine High School, knows the answer firsthand. DeAngelis has dedicated much of his time in the past 23 years since the mass shooting at Columbine High School, helping other school leaders. Today he is part of the growing number of principals, who've endured school shootings, and work together as part of the Principals Recovery Network. In this episode, he reflects on the Columbine shooting, what he has learned, and about a new guide to help other school leaders work through responding to traumatic events like shootings.

5 Okt 202233min

Harvard Researchers Carrie James and Emily Weinstein give the low-down on teens' behavior online. As part of a multiyear study, they surveyed more than 3,500 teens uncovering information about everything from why they sext to how they navigate friendship dilemmas online. What teens do and why is far more complex than many adults give them credit for. As a result, Weinstein and James say that adults are missing key opportunities to truly guide their teens, instead falling back on tired and useless messaging. In this episode of the EdCast, they provide a glimpse into teens' online world and offer strategies for adults eager to connect and help with the young adults in their life.

28 Sep 202228min

Many school districts are beginning to see pandemic learning losses greater than they imagined. It’s time to figure out what to next, says Harvard Professor Tom Kane, an economist studying catch-up efforts. He wants districts to be empowered to make the best decision going forward. In his latest research, he’s helping districts determine how to plan for these losses and shares what interventions might provide the most bang for the buck. In this episode, Kane shares troubling information about how these learning losses have the potential to shape the future of education and how what we do now can get learning back on track.

20 Apr 202218min

Stewart Kwoh believes education is the best tool to fight back against ongoing anti-Asian American violence and damaging stereotypes. As co-executive director of the Asian American Education Project, Kwoh has been dedicated to developing curriculums and trainings for educators. Despite many of the lesson plans and tools being available for free, Kwoh admits it has taken time for education to embrace this rich history. In this episode, he shares the importance of learning about Asian American history and what are the roadblocks to embracing such a curriculum in our schools.

13 Apr 202221min

Harvard Professor Sarah Dryden-Peterson knows that we can do a lot better for the nearly 30 million refugees in the world. As an expert on refugee education, she says education needs to create better supports for displaced children whose education is disrupted, dominated by exclusion and uncertainty about the future. In her latest research, she shares how governments and international agencies have been hindered in this work and how refugee teachers and students are leading the way to better educational supports. In this episode, she reflects on the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and offers insight into what we've learned from other humanitarian crises.

6 Apr 202226min

A silver lining of the pandemic, says Harvard Professor Fernando Reimers, was the push for education to innovate. Through the pandemic, Reimers set out to study how education systems around the world sought out innovations, even in places that had few resources. While it was reassuring how many education systems worldwide tried to make changes, Reimers discusses how he saw a dip in that creative ingenuity over time during the pandemic and why. In this episode, he also shares the unique ways that universities collaborated with education systems and how the pandemic impacted global citizens.

30 Mar 202230min