A Slice with 'Dice

As dual enrollment and early college programs continue expanding across the country, educational systems often assume that academic readiness and institutional readiness are largely the same thing. But a recent WestEd report examining the “arc” of dual enrollment suggests that access alone does not guarantee students will successfully navigate the unfamiliar cultural, relational, and institutional...

For many former speech and debate students, rigorous disagreement doesn’t feel hostile. It feels energizing. Collaborative. Even connective. But what happens when the communication instincts forged in competitive forensics collide with leadership, relationships, and real-world organizational culture? Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the hidden “shadow side”...

Dual enrollment and early college programs are often associated with already high-achieving students, but some of the strongest research findings suggest acceleration may have its greatest impact on students who historically have had the least access to advanced educational opportunities. As states continue expanding early college pathways, the more important question may not simply be how many st...

Americans still celebrate debate as a cornerstone of democracy, yet healthy disagreement feels increasingly rare in modern life. As algorithms reward outrage, certainty, and performance over curiosity and persuasion, the ability to thoughtfully engage opposing ideas may be becoming an endangered skill. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the evolving role of de...

As dual enrollment expands across the country, the conversation is beginning to shift from simple access and participation toward a more complicated question: how do we determine whether acceleration is truly working? A newly released research report from Columbia University’s Community College Research Center offers an important glimpse into how policymakers and institutions are beginning to answ...

A free pizza for finishing a book may seem simple, but it was part of a larger effort to spark reading at a time when literacy was a growing national concern.  Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, reflects on Pizza Hut’s Book It! program, blending personal memories with a deeper look at how novelty, joy, and clear incentives can motivate students—especially in an era whe...

As more students complete college-level coursework during high school, the traditional boundary between secondary education and higher education is beginning to blur. And that raises a much bigger question than simply how many credits students can earn before graduation. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores how acceleration is reshaping the purpose of college it...

Some students begin searching for something different long before anything appears “wrong” from the outside. The grades are strong, the friendships are there, and yet a growing sense of mismatch can quietly emerge between what students need and what their current environment provides. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the idea of the “Satisfaction Gap” and wh...

Students today are accumulating more credentials, more transcript hours, and more visible markers of achievement than ever before. But as acceleration expands, an important question sits underneath the surface: are we beginning to confuse the accumulation of credits with the deeper work of learning and personal growth? Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the gr...

Gifted students are often the ones adults worry about the least. They make the grades, meet expectations, stay productive, and appear remarkably capable. But beneath that competence, many are quietly learning how to manage pressure, conceal struggle, and perform the version of themselves the world rewards most. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the idea that...

Earning college credit in high school was once viewed as a specialized opportunity for a relatively small group of students. Today, acceleration has rapidly become mainstream, reshaping expectations for students, families, schools, and higher education itself. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores how dual enrollment and early college programs moved from the marg...

A single sentence can challenge us, motivate us, or make us feel small. The difference often comes down to trust. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the delicate balance between candor and care in education, reflecting on how teachers can hold students to high expectations without turning challenge into shame. For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyald...

As selective college admissions continues to shift, strong students and families need to understand not only how to build a strong application—but how colleges interpret genuine interest. In this jumbo-sized episode, Corey Alderdice explores why “demonstrated interest” may play a greater role in the upcoming admissions cycle, especially as some selective universities move away from traditional sup...

Why did Tulane drop its “ Why Tulane? ” essay—and what does that tell us about where college admissions is heading? The change may seem small, but it points to a larger shift from what students say about fit to what their application behavior reveals. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores how colleges are increasingly reading demonstrated interest through behavio...

Dual enrollment and early college programs have rapidly shifted from specialized opportunities into a defining feature of modern American education. Students are earning college credit earlier than ever before, but the rise of acceleration is also raising deeper questions about quality, purpose, pressure, and what education is ultimately supposed to become. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on tal...

Clarity doesn’t make a school easier—but it does make it more trustworthy. And in selective environments, that difference matters more than we often admit. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores what it would mean to design schools with trust in mind from the very beginning. Building on the tension between trust and power in higher education, this episode turns to...

Higher education doesn’t have a messaging problem—it has a trust problem. And the more openly institutions acknowledge that reality, the more complicated the path forward becomes. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the tension at the heart of higher education’s current moment. Using the recent report from Yale University as a starting point, this episode exami...

A Teacher Appreciation Week meme campaign from the U.S. Department of Education may have been designed for engagement, but its fictional teacher choices revealed something deeper about how educators are feeling right now. Beneath the nostalgia and internet humor is a surprisingly honest portrait of exhaustion, dedication, passion, and the desire to be heard. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on ta...

Curiosity isn’t disappearing from higher education—it’s being squeezed by cost, structure, and the pressure to get it right the first time. But what if the very tools designed to accelerate students could instead give that curiosity room to breathe? Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores how the argument that colleges have stopped rewarding curiosity intersects wi...

Some students grow up surrounded by opportunity so constantly that college feels like the next obvious step. For many small-town and rural students, though, the challenge is not a lack of talent, but the quieter difficulty of seeing ambitious futures clearly enough to believe they are truly within reach. Corey Alderdice, a national voice on talent and transformation, explores the work of the STARS...

Belonging cannot be a boutique advantage. If mentorship, purpose, depth, and engagement truly predict long-term success, then designing for belonging isn’t a marketing strategy — it’s a moral obligation. Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, explores the tension between schools of choice and traditional community schools, asking whether belonging-rich environments are eas...

Schedule is never just about time. Assessment is never just about grades. If belonging truly predicts thriving, then the real question is whether our systems are aligned to produce it. Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, explores how the S.P.A.C.E. framework from Stanford’s Challenge Success initiative (Schedule, Purpose, Assessment, Culture, and Engagement) provides a...

Belonging isn’t a soft idea. It’s a structural one. What if the strongest predictors of long-term success in college — and life — have less to do with prestige and more to do with experience? Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, explores the 2015 Gallup–Purdue research identifying six undergraduate experiences that directly correlate with graduating on time and thriving...

Masculinity is being optimized, marketed, and polarized in real time. But what if the real work is slower and more integrated? Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, explores the modern crisis among young men through the lens of fatherhood, literature, and cultural commentary. Drawing on contemporary conversations about male drift and revisiting high school texts like The...

A ringing phone. A Saturday school. A moment that opens up a much bigger conversation about rules, responsibility, and what schools are really trying to protect. Corey Alderdice, a national voice in talent and transformation, explores how the growing movement to restrict cell phone use in schools—both in Arkansas and across the country—reflects deeper questions about school culture, student trust,...