Advertise on podcast: What's the Big Idea?

In which Dan chats with Terra Ziporyn and Amy Wolfson, authors of the new book Educating the Exhausted: Adolescent Sleep and the Struggle for a Later School Start. Terra is a medical writer and historian and Amy is child clinical psychologist. They both serve on the board of Start School Later, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing public awareness about the relationship between sleep and school hours.  Dan, Terra, and Amy discuss the importance of sleep, why evidence is often not enough to change minds, and where we might find the political will to start school later. As always, I welcome comments and questions on Instagram @_dankearney_ Mentioned in the show: Educating the Exhausted: Adolescent Sleep and the Struggle for a Later School Start by Terra Ziporyn and Amy Wolfson Start School Later Race to Nowhere, a documentary film from 2010 "California just pushed back school start times — you weren’t dreaming. Now what?" an article from CalMatters Music: "The Process" by Lakey

The idea of AI in schools is inspiring either alarm bells or excitement, depending on who you're reading or following on social. But since it's already here, I invite you to consider four frames for considering it: Helping Teachers Reduce Friction, AI with Training Wheels, Naming What Students Are Already Doing, and Conversations, Not Lessons. I'm no lackey for AI, and I've been deeply skeptical of its rapid advance on schools. But I also recognize that it's here and educators need to be prepared to think and discuss with students and, in some cases, engage with the technology itself.

In which Dan talks with Sonya Walger (@sonyawalgerofficial), author and actress, about the power of journaling. Sonya is a longtime keeper of journals and her insights into the power of writing about our lives feels so urgent in this moment when technology promises to cure all our ills. As Sonya says in the interview, it's about "authenticity, which isn't necessarily the same as truthfulness, but an expression of everything in its complexities." Mentioned in the episode: Lion, a novel by Sonya Walger Wifehouse, a novel by Sonya Walger Music by MondaMusic

In which Dan takes the temperature of education in 2026 with Amy Fast, a superintendent in Dayton School District, Oregon. Through the lens of the game, Hot Take or Hard Truth, Dan and Amy talk about AI, phones, testing, books, recess, and more. As always, I welcome comments and questions on Instagram @_dankearney_

In which Dan chats with Benjamin Riley, founder of Cognitive Resonance, an organization dedicated to replacing AI hype with an understanding of how generative AI works using cognitive science. Ben's understanding of human cognition has him disturbed to see how some in education are running into the arms of big tech.  As always, I welcome comments and questions on Instagram @_dankearney_ Mentioned in the show: Cognitive Resonance, founded by Ben Riley Gary Marcus on Substack 8 Things To Know About Large Language Models by Sam Bowman Ex Machina, a film by Alex Garland The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Music by Soyb

In which Dan wonders if 2026 could be the year we really take students' interests in the wider world seriously. We’re living with creeping authoritarianism, AI disruption, climate change, social fragmentation, and a youth mental health crisis. Students feel it as much as the adults, but I worry that we’re not doing nearly enough to take on these issues in a way that matters to young people. If 2026 can be anything, maybe it's a portal into schools getting serious about how students get to interact with the world when they’re at school. As always, I welcome comments and questions on Instagram @_dankearney_

In which Dan chats with Eric Hudson, an educator and facilitator who's spent a lot time thinking and talking about AI in schools. Dan and Eric talk about why AI is so polarizing, the student-teacher divide on this new technology, and how schools can preserve critical thinking while not running in fear of AI.  As always, I welcome comments and questions on Instagram @_dankearney_ Mentioned in the show: School Leaders Innovation Forum: Los Angeles presented by Toddle Learning on Purpose a Substack by Eric Hudson Nine AI Messages for Students by Eric Hudson The Augmented Educator a Substack by Michael Wagner Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online by Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg What can you do as an educator? A post and graphic by Vera Cubero Music by Pierce Murphy

In which Dan chats with Michael Wagner, Professor and Department Head of Digital Media at the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University, about the implications for AI in education.  Back in July Michael posted a piece to his Substack with the provocative title, "The End of Cheating as We Know It." He posits that, yes, AI has the power to disrupt everything in education, but, ironically, it has also created the conditions for ancient practices  of teaching and learning to ascend, methods like socratic and oral examination, as well as design cycle iteration. Mentioned in the show: The End of Cheating As We Know It by Michael Wagner Michael Wagner's Substack Alpha School Music: Inspired by Lakey

In which Dan talks with education thinker and writer Jennifer Berkshire. Jennifer is the co-author of the recent release The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual and co-host of the outstanding podcast Have You Heard? Dan and Jennifer talk about some of the biggest issues facing education in 2025, namely the culture wars, local activism, and the snake oil salesman of educational technology.  As always, I welcome comments and questions on Bluesky (@dankearney) and Instagram (@_dankearney_) Mentioned in the episode: Have You Heard? - a podcast by Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual by Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider Alpha Schools Private school vouchers are now law in Texas from the Texas Tribune The Wire, a television show by David Simon Music by Lakey Inspired

In which Dan chats with Jesse Hagopian about the urgent need to teach truthful history in America's classrooms. Jesse is the author of the excellent book Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education and he's an eloquent speaker on the need to push back against right-wing whitewashing. Jesse and Dan talk about the return of colorblindness, the gentrification of history, and why grassroots action is the only way out.  As always I welcome comments and questions on BlueSky @dankearney and on Instagram @_dankearney_ If you're in or near Los Angeles this summer, check out Learning Adventures Workshop with Dr. Gary Stager on June 30. New podcast alert! Tune into But I Won't Do That, an irreverent look at the music, lyrics, and videos of some favorite pop hits. Mentioned in the episode: Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education by Jesse Hagopian "Oklahoma education standards say students must identify 2020 election 'discrepancies'", NPR, May 14, 2025 Zinn Education Project -- lots of incredible resources and lessons for teaching truth Music: "Sunflower" by Soyb (Youtube Audio Library)

In which Dan chats with Dr. Gary Stager, teacher, professor, author, and consultant (among other things) and a true constructivist. Gary is the founder of the Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute for educators and the co-author of Invent To Learn – Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. Dan and Gary talk about Gary's dear friend, the late Seymour Papert, and the meaning of a computer in a classroom, phones in schools, Gary's experience teaching in a prison in Maine, and why reading from actual books is so vital. As always I welcome comments and questions on BlueSky @dankearney and on Instagram @BigIdeaEd Mentioned in the episode: Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom by Gary Stager Twenty Things to Do with a Computer Forward 50 by Gary Stager The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer by Seymour Papert Seymour Papert Obituary from MIT News Torture in a Maine Prison from Prison Legal News Mathworlds, the Substack from Dan Meyer From Lunchboxes to Laptops: How Maine Went One-to-One by Audrey Waters The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt The Most Compelling Argument Against Tech in Schools from Haidt's After Babel Substack Music:  SPEAKEASY STRUT royalty free Music by Giorgio Di Campo for @FreeSound Music http://freesoundmusic.eu

In which Dan chats with Anya Kamenetz, an author, speaker, and reporter who's done lots of big thinking on the most important issues facing our world. Anya writes The Golden Hour Substack; she covered education for many years for NPR; and her newest book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Dan and Anya talk discuss capitalism, measurement in education, climate change as school curriculum, Wikipedia, AI, and more.  As always, I welcome comments and feedback on Bluesky (@dankearney) and Instagram (@BigIdeaEd). Mentioned in the episode: The Golden Hour on Substack The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives, and Where We Go Now by Anya Kamenetz The Test: Why Our Schools are Obsessed with Standardized Testing–But You Don't Have to Be by Anya Kamenetz The U.S. Economy Is Racing Ahead. Almost Everything Else Is Falling Behind by David Leonhardt, NY Times How to Raise Kids to Identify Misinformation by Anya Kamentez, The Integrity Project NJ Climate Change Education Resources An Educator's Guide to Climate Emotions Tech Won't Save Us, a podcast from Paris Marx The Generative AI Con by Ed Zitron

In which Dan chats with Cindy Blackburn, Director of Learning and Engagement at Toddle, about curriculum, that "dirty word" at many progressive schools. Cindy is also the host of the School Leaders Project podcast, where she interviews leading minds in progressive education. Dan and Cindy talk about why curriculum design and mapping can be so so sticky in schools, lessons from the International Baccalaureate, and the future of artificial intelligence in schools. Mentioned in the show: Toddle, a leading learning management system for IB and progressive schools School Leaders Project, a podcast from Toddle and hosted by Cindy Blackburn Streamlining the Curriculum: Using the Storyboard Approach to Frame Compelling Learning Journeys, by Heidi Jacobs Hayes and Allison Zmuda 11th Grader Takes An AI Tutoring Deep Dive, from Education Next Two-Sigma Tutoring: Separating Science Fiction from Science Fact from Education Next Connect with Dan on Instagram @BigIdeaEd and Blue Sky @dankearney Music: Sunflower by Soyb (Youtube Audio Library)

In which Dan chats with Olina Banerji, a reporter for EdWeek who recently wrote a great article, "Schools Are Eerily Quiet About the Election Results, Educators Say." Dan and Olina talk about why "the impact never came" following Donald Trump's election, how different stakeholders are processing the results, and what Olina and her colleagues could be reporting on in the weeks leading up to inauguration day. See also: EdWeek - The public education paper of record"Teachers toss their lesson plans, give students the floor to grapple with Trump win" from Chalkbeat"Moreno Valley teacher on administrative leave after making anti-Trump remarks in class" from ABC7Music: Gingersweet from Massobeats

In which Dan sits down (in person!) with Oshri Hakak (@oshrihakak), children's author, mental health advocate, and all-around deep thinker about the world we live in. Oshri collaborates with NAMI Westside Los Angeles (@namiwla) to talk with students young and old about the importance of breaking the silence around mental health and strategies for taking care of ourselves and each other. He's also a prolific author whose books are beautiful and poignant for children and adults alike. Mentioned in the show: National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) NAMI Westside Los Angeles Oshri Hakak's books, including Harry and the Hamster Wheel Oshri's Children's Mental Health Toolbox Music: gingersweet by massobeats [via No Copyright Background Music]