The Education Exchange

Robert Henderson, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the growing political divide between men and women in the United States. Henderson's article, "The book that showed me manhood has to be created," is available now at The Boston Globe.

Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District., joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how the district has worked to turn around lower performing schools.

Martin R. West, the editor-in-chief of Education Next and member of the National Assessment Governing Board, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the latest release of National Assessment of Educational Progress data.

Heather Mac Donald, the Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Mac Donald's recent article, which is critical of the changes the Trump Administration has made with the National Science Foundation. Mac Donald's article, "Trump Takes on Big Science," is available now from City Journal. https://www.city-journal.org/article/trump-national-science-foundatio...

Ilya Marritz, an independent journalist, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Marritz's recent reporting on the relationship between Alan Garber, the president of Harvard University, and Jay Bhattacharya, who is currently the director of the National Institutes of Health. Marritz's article, "Alan Garber's former student now holds the keys to Harvard's future," is available now from The Boston Globe....

Scott R. Levy, an Adjunct Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Levy's new book, Why School Boards Matter: Reclaiming the Heart of American Education and Democracy.

Brian Stephens, the CEO of Caissa K12, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how public schools can make themselves more appealing to students and parents as vouchers and tax credits becomes more popular across the country.

Paul Carrese, a Professor in the School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Columbia University's recent $200 million settlement with the Trump administration.

Derrell Bradford, the president of 50CAN, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how states might react to the new tax credit scholarship provision that was part of budget reconciliation bill, which was passed by Congress and signed into law on July 4, 2025.

Ester Fuchs, Professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science at Columbia University, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the New York City mayoral race, and what it could mean for education in the city.

Robert Maranto, the 21st Century Chair in Leadership in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the Free Inquiry Papers, a project which looks into how freedom of expression was suppressed at institutions of higher education, and how universities can change course. "The Free Inquiry Papers: How to Bring Back Free Inquiry," co-written with...

Robert Enlow, the President and CEO of EdChoice, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the tax credit scholarship provision that was part of budget reconciliation bill, which was passed by Congress and signed into law on July 4, 2025.

Matthew Lenard, an assistant professor of education leadership and policy studies at Florida State University, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Lenard's latest research, which investigates the impact of magnet schools on student learning. "The Attraction of Magnet Schools: Evidence from Embedded Lotteries in School Assignment," co-written with Umut Dur, Robert G. Hammond, Melinda Morrill, Thayer...

"School Enrollment Shifts Five Years After the Pandemic," co-written with Abigail Francis, is available now. https://wheelockpolicycenter.org/high-quality-education/school-enrollment-shifts-five-years-after-the-pandemic/

Jim Blew, co-founder of the Defense of Freedom Institute, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a school choice provision in H.R. 1, the U.S. House reconciliation bill that has moved to the U.S. Senate, and its potential impact on education.

Vladimir Kogan, a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Ohio State University, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a new report which finds that half of school board election races go uncontested and that incumbents are reelected more than 80 percent of the time when they run. The report, "High Turnover with Low Accountability: Local School Board Elections in 16 States," co-written wit...

Anna J. Egalite, a Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development in the College of Education at North Carolina State University joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how the Covid-19 pandemic has helped drive school choice in the state of North Carolina.

Paul DiPerna, the Vice President of Research and Innovation for EdChoice, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how public opinion has shaped the conversation around school choice in the United States.

Angela R. Watson, a senior research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Watson's recent research on how homeschooling has grown, and how students and parents measure success.

Jason Riley, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Riley’s new book, The Affirmative Action Myth: Why Blacks Don't Need Racial Preferences to Succeed.

David Figlio, the Gordon Fyfe Professor of Economics and Education at the University of Rochester, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Figlio's latest report, which investigates the effects of a Ohio school voucher program on student college success. The Effects of Ohio’s EdChoice Voucher Program on College Enrollment and Graduation, co-written with Matthew Chingos and Krzysztof Karbownik, is availa...

David Zweig joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss new book, An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions, and how the U.S. response to Covid-19 became shaped by politics.

Bhash Mazumder, a Professor of Economics at the University of California, Irvine, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Mazumder's recent paper, which looks into the history of the Rosenwald Schools in the segregated South and their connection to political activism. "Schooling and Political Activism in the Early Civil Rights Era," co-written with Daniel Aaronson, Mark Borgschulte, and Sunny Liu, is av...

Ben Scafidi, Professor and Director of the Education Economics Center at Kennesaw State University, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the 2025 Kansas Open Enrollment Report and its implications on enrollment policies nationwide.

Michael Hartney, a fellow at the Hoover Institution and assistant professor of political science at Boston College, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss their new joint research, which finds that states that voted for Kamala Harris in the last presidential election saw more learning loss following the Covid-19 pandemic than those that voted for Donald Trump, according to the most recent results from...