What's Best For Kids?

President Elect Trump is set to take office on January 20th, and speculation is swirling about his priorities and rhetoric regarding education. We’re going to try to make sense of what’s real, what’s possible and what’s likely for the future of education over the next four years.

The debate about social media often overlooks a critical component - the smartphone camera. Kids now have a high powered movie camera in their pocket and are lured to feed the insatiable appetite of a click hungry public. What’s the impact on schools, and more importantly, what’s the impact on the development of our kids?

As winter break is upon us, high school teachers around the country are gearing up for finals and bracing themselves for all of the demands, excuses and chaos that comes with the end of a semester. What are some of the survival techniques teachers use and what do they wish they could really say to students and parents?

Is it time to start treating social media like tobacco and alcohol? The Surgeon General thinks so, but others aren’t so sure. We have lots of data that show the negative impact of a steady habit of consuming  social media, so why not require app developers to jump through the same hoops as those in the food and drug industry?

Parents are exhausted, burned out and perpetually behind. It’s gotten so bad, that the Surgeon General has called it an “urgent public health issue.” It’s always been hard to raise teenagers, but what’s pushing parents toward a breaking point? 

Artificial intelligence can be an effective tool in education, but like with most technology, it comes with a cost. Increasingly, AI is being used as a weapon, rather than a resource, and students and teachers are stuck in the crossfire.  

This week Don and Rob share some recent news articles that highlight topics and points made in previous episodes. We’re talking about cell phone bans, school safety and the future of education.

With one of the most contentious election seasons heating up, how are teachers navigating this increasingly dangerous minefield?

In the wake of the shooting at a high school in Georgia that killed four and injured nine, the debate about how to protect our schools has been reignited, and the all too familiar firestorm of rhetoric is set to paralyze us once again. There have been 46 school shootings and 261 mass shootings in the first eight months of 2024. As we progress through our third decade of these unrelenting horrors,...

Don and Rob react to the recent tragedy at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.

Guest: Paige Colburn-Hargis Kids have always loved the independence they get from skateboards, bikes and scooters, but that freedom often comes with an increased risk of injury. With the explosion of e-bikes, that risk has grown exponentially as a billion dollar market has flooded the streets with untrained children weaving in and out of traffic at speeds never before possible on traditional bikes...

The hottest topic for education during the summer of 2024 was the push to ban cell phones in schools. Several states passed laws to ban them, and LA Unified banned them districtwide.  Best selling authors Jonathan Haidt ( Anxious Generation ) and Dr. Jean Twenge ( Generations , iGen ) are calling for phone bans in schools as a way to combat the epidemic of teen mental health. Is this where we shou...

Education is stuck in an antiquated system that follows the same model established more than 200 years ago. Whether you call it “sit and get” or “sage from the stage,” it’s still the same thing - teachers talk, kids listen, and we give them a test to see if they learned (aka memorized) what we said. How can we expect a kid who has grown up consuming a raging torrent of media content to sit in a cl...

Education is stuck in an antiquated system that follows the same model established more than 200 years ago. Whether you call it “sit and get” or “sage from the stage,” it’s still the same thing - teachers talk, kids listen, and we give them a test to see if they learned (aka memorized) what we said. How can we expect a kid who has grown up consuming a raging torrent of media content to sit in a cl...

Season 2 is almost over so Don and Rob take some time to reflect on past episodes as they prepare for the finale. Lots of new insights, quotes, and Gen-X references. This episode was recorded on Don’s birthday so help him celebrate by listening and sharing!

Guest: Scott Wild The gap between what parents think student discipline is (or should be), and what it really is…is HUGE. Many parents grew up in a world where corporal punishment was common, and where accountability was expected. We now live in a world where accountability is optional, so gone are the draconian punitive measures as states look to eliminate suspensions so they can be replaced by r...

For decades schools were driven by achievement data that gave us a narrow understanding of our students’ needs. Increasingly, schools are tasked with doing much more than providing academic instruction, so achievement data is less critical. But how do schools make informed, data driven decisions if they aren’t using achievement data? Surveys are the new data points administrators use to drive chan...

Did school attendance suddenly become optional? Chronic absenteeism was an issue before the pandemic, but the school closures exposed a growing frustration with the strict structure of in person learning. In the years since schools reopened, absenteeism has exploded across the country across all demographics. What is the impact on schools and what can we do to address this threat to our system of...

Guest: Scott Wild - Principal, Pacific Trails Middle School In the fall of 2022, the State of California mandated that all public high schools move their start time to 8:30 am, and all public middle schools had to start after 8:00 am. The change was made in an effort to better support the sleep needs of developing teens, which (in theory) would help them be happier and healthier students. But the...

Teen optimism is at a new low. Are we surprised? The adults in their lives are enraged by the news and social media, the governments all over the world drift into war after war, there is legitimate fear that our environment is at the tipping point, and every day they expect to hear about yet another school shooting. On top of that, the social media landscape is destroying what little self esteem t...

Don and Rob continue the conversation about teen optimism they started in the previous episode. Teens are less hopeful because the adults in their lives are enraged by the news and social media, the governments all over the world drift into war after war, there is legitimate fear that our environment is at the tipping point, and every day teens expect to hear about yet another school shooting. On...

Teen optimism is at a new low. Are we surprised? The adults in their lives are enraged by the news and social media, the governments all over the world drift into war after war, there is legitimate fear that our environment is at the tipping point, and every day they expect to hear about yet another school shooting. On top of that, the social media landscape is destroying what little self esteem t...

Guest: Rocky Herron, Retired DEA Agent, Public Speaker Rocky Herron is a tireless advocate for drug prevention and awareness. He draws on his life experiences as a DEA agent and a parent of three daughters to teach young people critical life lessons - never start using drugs, make different choices if they are using drugs, it’s not their fault if they are suffering from someone else’s drug usage,...

Guest: Rocky Herron , Retired DEA Agent, Public Speaker Rocky Herron is a tireless advocate for drug prevention and awareness. He draws on his life experiences as a DEA agent and a parent of three daughters to teach young people critical life lessons - never start using drugs, make different choices if they are using drugs, it’s not their fault if they are suffering from someone else’s drug usage,...

Since the iPhone launched in 2007, teachers and schools all over the country have been locked in an epic battle for the attention of students. With the rise of social media, that battle has reached a fever pitch. In an effort to keep kids focused on learning, some school districts are banning smartphone use during the school day. Will it work? Will parents who want to stay connected to their kids...