The Purple Zone

Send us Fan Mail Alexis Morgan tells the story of The Civility Project. In 2019, after an opinion piece hurt the Nez Perce Tribe, three leaders of the Lewiston Tribune set out to confront incivility in their own community. They didn't have all the answers, and they were criticized along the way. They asked for help from the National Institute for Civil Discourse, held community conversations...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to turn an issue into legislation? Time? Relationships? Listening? The AI in Education workgroup is highlighted in turning an issue into public policy. In this episode, Alexis Morgan sits down with Idaho Senator Kevin Cook to talk about what goes into making quality legislation. They explore who needs to be at the table when a bill takes shape, and what happens w...

Send us Fan Mail Have you noticed that division in the United States feels higher than ever? What if conflict isn't the cause of our division, but rather the normalization of contempt within conflict? In this dual release, Matt Todd of The Ranch podcast invites Alexis on to talk all things Dignity Index. As a member of the Dignity Politics team at Dignity. US, Alexis takes listeners behind th...

Send us Fan Mail Have you thought about the difference between transparency and targeting in our election process? Do you know what it means to choose curiosity instead of falling into contempt ? And what does contempt actually look like when it comes to a ballot initiative? In this episode, Alexis pulls these questions apart through a recent incident: a Facebook post that shared the names of citi...

Send us Fan Mail This episode marks an exciting first for The Purple Zone: a brand-new experiment in bringing people together around ideas, not just single books . Alexis is joined by Representative Dr. Britt Raybould to pilot a new kind of book club, one that lives right here on the podcast and spreads out through social media, inviting listeners to engage with a topic (not a specific book) in a...

Send us Fan Mail It's a solo episode this week and Alexis is pulling back the curtain. Most people hear "The Purple Zone" and think politics: red meets blue, somewhere in the middle. But that's not where the name came from, and it's not what it means. Alexis takes you back to where the podcast really started: the early days of her PhD program, and the idea that began shapi...

Send us Fan Mail Alexis Morgan welcomes Will Goodman, Director of People and Organizational Services for Boise School District, to unpack the Idaho journey of AI in Education legislation and why Idaho is leading the nation on guardrails and implementation. They talk candidly about the question many people are asking: Is this a good move, or a potential risk? They dive into the process behind Senat...

Send us Fan Mail In this opening episode of the season, I’m stepping in solo to share a quick recap of my summer with my kids as they head into a new chapter: college town life and off-to-school mornings that feel like both a goodbye and a beginning. But the heart of this episode is my “date with dignity.” I’m sharing a personal story in honor of my late aunt, an important relationship, a lasting...

Send us Fan Mail In this season opener, Alexis Morgan sits down with guest Stehvn Tesar, principal at Bennett High School, to explore how the community school strategy at Bennett High helps meet students’ needs and strengthens the surrounding community. We start by defining what a community school is and why this model fits the Mountain Home School District, before digging into the work happening...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Alexis sits down with Joey Palmer , a school administrator in the Treasure Valley (larger Boise area in Idaho), who’s taking a different approach to technology in the classroom. This isn’t about being anti-tech—it’s about asking better questions: When does technology actually improve learning, and when does it get in the way? Joey shares how his district is shifti...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Alexis sat down with Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA) Superintendent Dr. Jeff Simmons to unpack what really happened with HB 940 and related legislation and why this moment is about far more than online classes. We break down the full policy landscape and the impacts on kids in the state? The 50% in funding cuts to IDLA means fewer courses, fewer enrollments...

Send us Fan Mail This episode breaks down a new Idaho law impacting teachers unions, but more importantly, what it reveals about how policy actually works in practice . This isn’t just about unions. It’s about systems, processes, and what happens when infrastructure quietly shifts underneath schools. Segment Breakdown: 1. Radiator Capping (process shift): Bypassing the normal legislative process c...

Send us Fan Mail Lately I’ve been asking myself a question. Have we forgotten the stories that built the communities we live in today… or were many of us never really taught them in the first place? In this reflective solo episode, Alexis explores the stories that shaped her understanding of service and community, from Anne Frank and a Holocaust survivor who visited her classroom, to her immigrant...

Send us Fan Mail Budgets aren’t flashy and they’re usually not the most fun thing to talk about. But when the Idaho Senate rejected the state’s largest budget bill the $5.7 billion Health and Welfare budget it revealed deeper tensions inside the Legislature over fiscal responsibility , Medicaid spending, and recent tax cuts. In this episode of The Purple Zone ,  I break down: 1.  How Idaho’s budge...

Send us Fan Mail Idaho has had charter schools for nearly three decades. They were created to innovate, and the question today is: are they doing that? In this episode, I’m joined by Duncan Robb, education policy expert and the writer behind the Substack K–12 Education in Idaho (k12educationidaho.substack.com). We break down the basics, what charter schools are (and aren’t), how they’re governed,...

Send us Fan Mail Idaho ranks 50th in physicians per capita and 44th in primary care access . So what’s the real plan to fix it? In this episode, I sit down with Representative Dustin Manwaring to break down Idaho’s Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) strategy, the proposed 36-month rollout, and how it intersects with the $1 billion Rural Health Transformation Grant. We talk through the core prob...

Send us Fan Mail Who actually has the power over elections in the United States — the federal government, the states, or the president? Alexis takes you go back to the Constitution itself. Because here’s the truth: many adults have never been taught (or have near forgotten) how the Constitution is structured, where power is assigned, or why federalism exists in the first place. (This is a super ba...

Send us Fan Mail When special education isn’t fully funded, the cost doesn’t disappear...it gets absorbed by families, classrooms, and educators. In this solo episode of The Purple Zone , I unpack what underfunded special education actually looks like on the ground: for students whose needs go unmet, for teachers navigating behavior and safety challenges without enough support, and for families tr...

Send us Fan Mail The math ain’t mathing...and that’s not about blame, it’s about reality. Yes this podcast has the words BUDGET, LEGISLATURE, DOGE, and GOVERNANCE...but I promise it's NOT boring--but rather something that is intended to help ALL Idahoans (and my friends in other states), understand and connect where you are right now--with governance choices.  Idaho is entering the 2026 legis...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first Purple Zone episode of 2026. As the new year begins and the legislative session ramps up (start date is January 12) ... I’m sharing three important opportunities and announcements for Idahoans who care about kids, families, schools, and the policies that shape our communities. First, we’re talking about Idaho PTA Day on the Hill , happening Tuesday, January 20...

Send us Fan Mail Last Friday, Idaho school and community leaders were notified that a major federal education grant already awarded and already supporting students is being cut short. The Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) State Scaling Grant , awarded to Idaho through the United Way of Treasure Valley , was designed as a five-year investment supporting  47 rural & title one public schools...

Send us Fan Mail How does a bill actually move through a legislature — not in textbooks, but in real life ? In this episode of The Purple Zone , Alexis takes a deep dive into House Bill 41, Idaho’s 2025 “flags and schools” law, a bill that unexpectedly became tied to the now-viral West Ada classroom incident and sparked national debate about patriotism, symbolism, and expression in schools. But in...

Send us Fan Mail What do a disappointed office-seeker, a presidential assassination, a reform act from the 1880s, and an academic essay from Woodrow Wilson have to do with your life today?  More than you think. In this episode, Alexis traces the surprising story of how the U.S. moved from a full-blown spoils system —“to the victor belong the spoils”—to a modern merit-based civil service. You’ll he...

Send us Fan Mail Alexis sits down with Will Goodman, Chief Technology Officer for the Boise School District and a central voice in Idaho’s statewide conversations on AI in K–12 education. Will and Alexis serve together on an AI in K-12 Education Workgroup in Idaho, and in this episode, they dig into the real questions Idaho is navigating right now. Together they explore: With 94% of Idaho students...

Send us Fan Mail Most people can name the President—but not their local city council members. In this episode of The Purple Zone , Alexis sits down with Matt Todd, host of The Ranch Podcast , to unpack what local government actually does and why it matters. From who really decides where roads go (hint: it’s not your Eagle City Council members) to how citizens can get involved at every level, this...