Education Archives - The Podcast Browser

Tyler Austin Harper – Confessions of a Token Black Professor

Interview with Tyler Austin Harper about his Atlantic essay Confessions of a Token Black Professor. Explores how ‘wokeness’ and diversity politics in higher education serve as a defence mechanism against mounting economic pressures and student debt, rather than addressing fundamental systemic issues. Recounts instances of ‘racial paranoia’ at Bates College and mandatory ‘racism self-audits’ which infringe academic freedom. Argues that this ‘elite diversification’ is a cheaper, performative response to declining public trust, driven by what he terms ‘repacious corporate capitalism’, leading to casualised faculty labour and ideological conformity. Highlights how external funding can also dictate research focus, diverting attention from deeper structural failures.

Katharine Birbalsingh – The Woke Curriculum is Turning Our Kids Against Their Own Country

Interview with Katharine Birbalsingh about her ARC speech The Woke Curriculum is Turning Our Kids Against Their Own Country. Explores why her successful Michaela Community School model is not widely replicated, despite its proven outcomes for disadvantaged children. Argues that progressive ideologies within the education establishment, including prestigious private schools, foster individualism and neglect traditional values such as discipline, duty, and respect. Contends that children are born ‘naughty’ and require explicit moral formation, a concept rejected in modern society, contributing to a generation lacking agency and societal bonds. Highlights the profound influence of schools and online culture on children, often overshadowing familial impact, and criticises the broader societal discomfort with ‘judgment’ that impedes educational and cultural reform.

Jared Cooney Horvath – The Digital Delusion

How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning – and How to Help Them Thrive Again

Interview with Jared Cooney Horvath about his book The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning – and How to Help Them Thrive Again. Argues that increasing digital technology use in schools correlates with a reversal of the Flynn Effect – a decline in children’s cognitive abilities. Explains how screens impede memory by lacking three-dimensional location and fostering skimming over deep learning. Prolonged screen exposure inhibits the brain’s capacity to simulate experiences, a key benefit of long-form reading. Advocates for strict controls on technology in classrooms, emphasising that one-to-one computer learning is detrimental to cognitive development and advocating for a return to structured, purpose-driven tech use.

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Malala Yousafzai – Finding My Way

A Memoir

Interview with Malala Yousafzai about her book Finding My Way: A Memoir. Reflects on her journey since her first book and her Nobel Peace Prize win, detailing her coming of age, finding her place in the world, and navigating adult life. Shares honest accounts of academic struggles at Oxford, balancing global activism with personal growth, and the importance of female friendships. Explores themes like love, mental health, and the ongoing fight for girls’ education, emphasising that even celebrated figures face everyday challenges and personal evolution.

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Elise Stefanik – Poisoned Ivies

The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America’s Elite Universities

C-SPAN Bookshelf | 31 May 2026 | 0h 43m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Elise Stefanik about her book Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America’s Elite Universities. Recounts her viral questioning of university presidents regarding campus antisemitism, which triggered high-profile resignations. Critiques foreign funding from China and Qatar, the lack of faculty ideological diversity, and the shift toward political indoctrination. Advocates for higher education reform and enhanced civic education. Reflects on her congressional career and her decision not to seek reelection to prioritise her family.

Ruixue Jia & Hongbin Li – The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China

New Books in Economics | 15 February 2026 | 0h 49m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li about their book The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China. Discusses how the Gaokao exam system shapes Chinese schooling, serves state interests, inspires individualistic attitudes, and has lately become a touchstone in US education debates.

Ezra Golberstein on School-Based Mental Health Services

Podcast | 10 February 2026 | 1h 4m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Ezra Golberstein about his Journal of Human Resources paper Effects of School-Based Mental Health Services on Youth Outcomes, co-authored with Irina Zainullina, Aaron Sojourner, and Mark A. Sander. Describes his sources, research and results considering the impacts of school-based mental health services.

I encourage you to compare and contrast with Abigail Shrier’s arguments in her book Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up.

Joe Liemandt – Building Alpha School, and The Future of Education

Invest Like the Best | 26 August 2025 | 2h 28m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Joe Liemandt about Alpha School. Discusses his background founding Trilogy Software and his mission to transform education with an AI tutoring system so effective that 2x better learning outcomes can be achieved in just two hours a day. Draws on Jeremy Stern’s Colossus profile “Class Dismissed“.

See also the Modern Wisdom episode with Mackenzie Price about Alpha School.