On this week’s Education Gadfly Show, Ben Austin, Founding Director of Education Civil Rights Now, joins us to discuss why the Democratic Party lost its way on education policy—and what it must do to rebuild credibility and improve its chances in national elections.
Then, on the Research Minute, Adam shares a new study on state takeovers of school districts, examining who benefits and how these interventions impact district finances.
Recommended content:
- “Democrats have lost their way on education policy. Here’s how to get back on track.” —Ben Austin, The Hill
- “Democrats need to break up with Randi Weingarten” —Ben Austin, The Hill
- “Trump’s school choice initiative puts Democratic governors in a bind” —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
- “Help wanted: Ed-reform governors needed (again)” —Chester E. Finn, Jr., Thomas B. Fordham Institute
- “How state takeovers of school districts affect education finance, 1990 to 2019”—Melissa Arnold Lyon, Joshua Bleiberg, and Beth Schueler, Education Finance and Policy (2025)
Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Alicia Anderson at aanderson@fordhaminstitute.org.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!