Academic Distinctions: A Podcast to Make Sense of American Education
Hosted by Stephanie Melville and Zac Chase, "Academic Distinctions" is a podcast for educators that tackles the reading and research teachers often don't have time for. With experience as classroom teachers, district administrators, and federal policy wonks, the hosts bring a unique perspective to discussions on education's "greatest hits" and current events. The podcast is committed to delivering engaging, informative, and actionable content that is relevant and responsive to the needs of educators.
Episodes
Stephanie and Zac look more closely and provide context for three top education news stories from the last week. First, the U.S. Department of Education proposed a new priority for getting back to basics on math. And it looks, normal? Just kidding. Next, what is happening with the federal student loan program and who are we about to exclude. Finally, we care about student mental health supports...sort of. It's an...
Stephanie and Zac take a closer look three top education stories from the last week.
1. High-dosage tutoring doesn't pay off for districts after the pandemic. But it's a case of apples and oranges.
2. EdWeek talks to a teacher who has students put their computers away, and we've got questions about the rest of the story.
3. Fordham says teachers don't like equitable grading practices, and we wonder if...
Zac and Stephanie talk with Senior Director for Preparedness and Response at the Institute for Security and Technology, Michael Klein about the importance of cybersecurity for school systems, what families can do to help students, educators roles, and how we can practice our own cyber hygiene.
In this conclusion of our conversation with former U.S. Secretary of Education John King, we ask how we can build community and conversations with folks with whom we feel we have nothing in common.
Secretary King offers his example of reconciling with the decedents of those who enslaved his ancestors.
Zac and Stephanie welcome former U.S. Secreatary of Education John King to the show to discuss his new book Teacher by Teacher.
In this first part of the conversation, we discuss where we can find hope as public education is under attack, how we can fight for the rights of students across the country, and how we can begin vulnerable conversations with folks with whom we disagree.
Almost 20 years ago, Carol Dweck's work on mindsets set the education world ablaze. Not long after that, the field started using Dweck's work in some helpful and not-so-helpful ways.
In this episode, Zac and Stephanie sit down with Cathy Williams of Stanford University's You Cubed to talk about the impact of growth and fixed mindset and how people learn better when they believe they can...well, learn.
The Supreme Court says it's okay for the Trump Administration to shutter the U.S. Department of Education while they wait for the case to formally reach them. AND, the Office of Management and Budget withholds BILLIONS of Title funds from states and districts. All this has Zac and Stephanie reeling with questions. So, they ask Education Law Professor Jon Becker back on the show to...you guessed it...make sense of...
Stephanie and Zac talk with Dr. Maggie Beiting-Parrish about the possible intended and unintended consequences of John Hattie's work and what we should be asking when we see research in education and beyond.
In this episode Stephanie and Zac talk to Dr. Ji Son from Cal State Los Angeles to get a better understanding of why it's so hard to add complexity to information once we've got our minds made up as well as some helpful tricks to make new information stickier. Then, they dive in to the work of John Hattie and begin to examine how his attempts to share what's "effective" in education spread lik...
Stephanie and Zac talk with guests Katy Joseph and Sam Ames - the two most recent former chiefs of staff for the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). They discuss OCR's origins, work, and possible future with a 50% reduction in staff and ever-increasing caseload.
Stephanie and Zac unpack the of one of the most famous pyramids in education (Bloom's taxonomy) and attempt to draw a line from its post-WWII origins to the requirement of teachers writing their objectives on the board.
For the second half of the show, researcher Katherine McEldoon joins to offer an alternative way to figure out if students' (and adults') brains are doing the work we hope they are during...
Meghan Whittaker, former chief of staff for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education joins Stephanie and Zac to explain IDEA. From their they look at what could be the national impact on 7.5 million students receiving special education services if Trump's skinny budget becomes a reality. Spoiler: It's not great.
In this episode Dr. Jon Becker joins Stephanie and Zac to wrestle with another round of Head Start on the chopping block and the Supreme Court's impending decisions on what makes a public school...public...(or private?) and whether or not parents can opt their kids out of inclusive literature.
Stephanie and Zac dig in to a couple of last week's slew of Executive Orders and examine their potential implications for public educators. They welcome guest Diana Laufenberg, executive director of Inquiry Schools (https://www.inquiryschools.org/) to pull apart recent rulings from around the country on the Trump Administration's attempts to make federal curriculum policy by weaponizing funding allocated for...
In this introduction to Academic Distinctions, Stephanie and Zac set the stage for the podcast and the season ahead promising discussion of education in the news, Bloom's, Hattie, PBIS, and a lot more.
Popular Podcasts
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.
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
Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.