The Learning Curve

This week on  The Learning Curve , co-hosts  U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng  and  Dr. Jocelyn Chadwick  interview  fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the British Academy , Prof. Richard Holmes . Prof. Holmes delves into the life and literary legacy of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, one of the most significant poets of the Romantic era. Holmes offers a comprehensive overview of Coleridge's earl...

This week on  The Learning Curve , co-hosts  U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng  and  Alisha Searcy of DFER  interview the  NYT’s South Asia correspondent ,  Anupreeta Das . Ms. Das discusses how she became interested in writing her acclaimed biography,  Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World , emphasizing Gates’ corporate and philanthropic influence on our era. Sh...

This week on The Learning Curve , co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Meredith Coolidge of DFER - MA interview President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools , Starlee Coleman . Ms. Coleman discusses her role as CEO of the Texas Public Charter Schools Association, highlighting the growth of charter schools in Texas, as well as the broader efforts to expand school choi...

This week on  The Learning Curve , co-hosts  Charlie Chieppo  and  Meredith Coolidge of DFER-MA  interview  Houston Independent School District, Superintendent Mike Miles . Mr. Miles reflects on his lifelong dedication to public service, starting as a soldier, then a diplomat, and later as an educational leader. He shares insights into his family background and formative experiences that shaped hi...

This week on  The Learning Curve , co-hosts  Alisha Searcy  of DEFR and retired MN Justice Barry Anderson  interview  Dr. David Heidler . He discusses the transformative period of Jacksonian Democracy, from 1829 to 1837. Dr. Heidler explores the political changes, sectionalism, and reforms that characterized the era, alongside the controversial figure of Andrew Jackson, whose volatile nature and s...

This week on  The Learning Curve , co-hosts  Alisha Searcy of DEFR  and  Mike Goldstein  interview  Joshua Angrist , the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. Prof Angrist shares his journey from growing up in Pittsburgh to becoming a Nobel Prize-winning economist. He reflects on his family, formative educational experiences, and his time as a paratrooper in the Israeli Defense Forces, where he glea...

This week on  The Learning Curve , co-hosts  DFER's Alisha Searcy  and  Mike Goldstein  interview Stanford University Prof. Arnold Rampersad , author of  Jackie Robinson: A Biography . He discusses the life and legacy of Robinson, the hall of fame baseball player and history-changing civil rights leader. Prof. Rampersad talks about Jackie Robinson's journey from rural Georgia, his athletic triumph...

This week on The Learning Curve , co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and DFER's Alisha Searcy interview Pulitzer Winner Kai Bird . Mr. Bird focuses on the life and legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, “father of the atomic bomb.” He discusses Oppenheimer's impact on history, his early life and education, and his academic achievements in quantum physics. Bird covers Oppenheimer's political views, r...

This week on  The Learning Curve  co-hosts  U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng  and  DFER's Alisha Searcy  interview  Dr. Marguerite Roza from the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University. Dr. Roza explores the complexities of education finance and its impact on American K-12 education. She outlines the three phases of school funding over the past 40 years and their effect on equity and student achieveme...

This week on  The Learning Curve  co-hosts  U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng  and  DFER's Alisha Searcy  interview  Harlow Giles Unger , author of  Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation . Mr. Unger delves into the life of Patrick Henry as the country celebrates the Fourth of July. He explores Henry's early life, his rise as a lawyer and political figure, and his fiery opposition...

This week on  The Learning Curve  co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng  and  Ret. MN Justice Barry Anderson  interview U-CA Law-SF’s  Prof. Joel Richard Paul . He discusses the statesman Daniel Webster, highlighting his reputation as the "conscience of New England" and one of America's greatest orators. Prof. Paul shares that Webster, despite a modest upbringing, became a leading attorney whose...

This week on  The Learning Curve  co-hosts DFER's Alisha Searcy  and  Charlie Chieppo  interview  Steven Wilson . Mr. Wilson delves into his extensive background, including his tenure at Pioneer Institute, his work with Governor Bill Weld, and his contributions to the landmark 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act. Steven shares insights into the high academic expectations and success of Boston'...

This week on  The Learning Curve  co-hosts U-Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and DFER's Alisha Searcy  interview Henry James biographer  Sheldon Novick . Mr. Novick discusses the complexities of Henry James’ life and writing career, highlighting his significant literary contributions, the influence of his family's intellectual legacy, and the realistic portrayal of social tensions in his works. Novi...

This week on The Learning Curve co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Ret. MN Justice Barry Anderson interview USAF Academy’s professor emerita, Jeanne Heidler . Dr. Heidler discusses Henry Clay's legacy as a seminal figure in American history. She covers Clay's early life, his transformation from a Virginia farm boy to a leading statesman, and his being mentored in the law by Founding Father...

This week on  The Learning Curve  co-hosts U-Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and  DFER’s Alisha Searcy  interview Harvard student  Maya Shiloni . Ms. Shiloni discusses her Israeli upbringing, academic journey at Harvard, and experiences as a world-class dancer. She addresses leadership crises in higher education, religious toleration, and the impact of the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. In cl...

This week on  The Learning Curve  co-hosts U-Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and  Steven Wilson  interview  Kimberly Steadman , co-director of Edward Brooke Charter Schools. Steadman reflects on her educational background and leadership in urban charter public schools. She discusses the importance of rigorous academic expectations for K-12 students, and how this outlook influences her educational ph...

This week on  The Learning Curve  co-hosts U-Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and  Dr. Jocelyn Chadwick  interview  Cheryl Brown Henderson , daughter of the lead plaintiff in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. She explores her family's pivotal role in the Brown case, detailing her father’s part within the NAACP's wider legal strategy. Cheryl discusses the influence...

This week on  The Learning Curve  co-hosts U-Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and DFER's Alisha Searcy interview  POLITICO's  Peter Canellos , biographer of Justice John Marshall Harlan. Mr. Canellos delves into Harlan's upbringing in a prominent slaveholding family, his Civil War service in the Union Army, and his rapid rise in Kentucky politics as a Republican. He highlights John Harlan’s mixed-rac...

This week on  The Learning Curve , co-hosts University of Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson  interview General Counsel of U.S. Cyber Command,  Colonel Pete Hayden . He shares insights about growing up in western Massachusetts, attending law school, his military service, and emphasizes the legal aspects of his national security work. Col. Hayden discus...

This week on The Learning Curve , guest co-hosts University of Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Mariam Memarsadeghi interview Stanford University senior fellow and biographer of Joseph Stalin,  Dr. Stephen Kotkin . He explores Stalin's origins, consolidation of power, and his Communist despotism. Kotkin delves into Stalin's cunning political maneuvers, his complex relationships with other Soviet le...

This week on  The Learning Curve , guest co-hosts University of Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and  Charlie Chieppo  interview Johns Hopkins’ Institute for Education Policy director,  Dr. Ashley Berner . She discusses educational pluralism's role in improving K-12 performance, exploring European models and the impact of U.S. school choice programs. Dr. Berner analyzes universal ESAs and vocational-...

This week on  The Learning Curve , guest co-hosts University of Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and  Dr. Jocelyn Chadwick  interview renowned poet and Boston University professor,  Robert Pinsky . He discusses his memoir  Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet ; the enduring influence of sacred texts like the Psalms; and the wide cultural significance of classic poets like Homer and Shakespeare. T...

This week on  The Learning Curve , guest co-hosts University of Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and  Charlie Chieppo  interview U.S. Chamber Foundation VP,  Hilary Crow . She discusses the state of K-12 civics, emphasizing the Chamber Foundation’s role in addressing America’s wide civic education deficits. Crow highlights a recent national civics survey, alarming civic literacy gaps, and links betwe...

This week on  The Learning Curve , guest co-hosts  Charlie Chieppo  and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice  Barry Anderson  interview UCLA’s classical historian,  Prof. Ronald Mellor . Dr. Mellor delves into the enduring influence of Tacitus, the great Roman historian, on both America’s Founding Fathers and contemporary understanding of politics and government. He discusses Tacitus's insights on the ...

This week on  The Learning Curve , University of Arkansas  Prof. Albert Cheng  and guest co-host  Alisha Searcy  interview Tufts University  Prof. Elizabeth Setren . Prof. Setren discusses her recent study of METCO, a pioneering voluntary school desegregation program under which Massachusetts students in Boston and Springfield are bused to surrounding suburban districts. She discusses METCO's hist...