Advertise on podcast: The Learning Curve

This week, on a Halloween edition of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools and Prof. Albert Cheng of The Ohio State University speak with Leslie Klinger, the definitive annotator of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Klinger explains why Count Dracula remains an enduring figure and offers a portrait of Stoker, the Irish writer and theater manager whose imagination powerfully shaped classic horror fiction. He traces the history of vampire lore and the late nineteenth-century European context from which Dracula emerged. Klinger examines Stoker’s inventive epistolary structure, told through journals, letters, a ship’s log, and newspaper clippings. He analyzes the novel’s main characters, from Jonathan and Mina Harker to Lucy Westenra and the Count himself. Klinger also discusses Dracula’s themes of Victorian morality, psychological terror, faith, modern knowledge, science, and ancient evil. He considers why nineteenth-century Gothic fiction continues to captivate readers and shape horror storytelling worldwide. In closing, Klinger reads a passage from Dracula.

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools and Prof. Albert Cheng of The Ohio State University speak with Dr. Melodie Wyttenbach, Executive Director of Boston College’s Roche Center for Catholic Education. Dr. Wyttenbach reflects on her career in Catholic schools leadership across the country and how Catholic education’s commitment to the true, the good, and the beautiful can foster a durable faith and sense of purpose in students. She examines the mission and operational realities confronting K–12 Catholic schools, including enrollment, governance, and labor costs, while highlighting promising models such as Cristo Rey’s work-study approach. Melodie considers how Pope St. John Paul II’s witness can help leaders connect faith with young people’s lives, and how a classical liberal arts foundation equips students to navigate modern challenges. Finally, Dr. Wyttenbach explores the expanding landscape of school choice, tax-credit programs, and ESAs, as well as what Pope Leo XIV’s papacy may mean for the future of Catholic education in America and worldwide for families and communities.

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of The Ohio State University and Pioneer Senior Fellow Steven Wilson, speak with Dr. Peter Berkowitz, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and author of Reclaiming Liberal Education in America. Berkowitz reflects on the education that led him from Swarthmore College to the study of philosophy, political science, and law. He explains the ancient Greek meaning of “know thyself” and how Socratic inquiry seeks to understand universal questions about human nature, virtue, justice, and the good life. He distinguishes liberal education from a relativistic one, arguing that students should learn to question authority while cultivating moral virtues and respect for the law. Drawing on the examples of Frederick Douglass and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he discusses how Americans can pursue civic reforms through the nation’s Founding principles and upholding constitutionalism. Finally, Dr. Berkowitz reads a passage from his book Reclaiming Liberal Education in America.

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools and Prof. Albert Cheng of The Ohio State University speak with Dr. Jocelyn Chadwick, a nationally recognized Mark Twain scholar and author of The Jim Dilemma: Reading Race in Huckleberry Finn. Jocelyn reflects on her more than forty years as an English teacher, including her work at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and how she came to study Twain’s American classic. She explores Twain’s biography, the connections between The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Huck’s distinctive narrative voice. Dr. Chadwick discusses the central importance of Huck and Jim’s evolving friendship, the novel’s portrayal of antebellum slavery, and the significance of the Mississippi River. She examines the book’s enduring controversies around race, Huck’s moral decision to help his friend and runaway slave Jim, and Twain’s much debated ending. Finally, Jocelyn closes by reading a passage from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools and Prof. Albert Cheng of The Ohio State University speak with Tim Murray, president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and former mayor of Worcester and lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. Murray reflects on his Worcester upbringing, public-school education, and path from local leadership to statewide office. He discusses Worcester’s industrial legacy and the partnerships that helped make vocational-technical education a centerpiece of the city’s economic renewal. He explores how Massachusetts voc-tech schools used standards, accountability, and school choice to strengthen both academic and occupational outcomes. Murray also notes Worcester Technical High School’s national recognition from President Barack Obama, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and Gen. Colin Powell. He reflects on Dr. Sheila Harrity’s leadership and the collaboration among business, labor, higher education, and government that helped drive the school’s success. Finally, he addresses the growing demand for voc-tech programs, their role in expanding opportunity for students, and the policy choices needed to strengthen urban vocational education nationwide.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools and Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University speak with Lincoln Tamayo, Chief Operating Officer of Academy Prep Foundation and Head of School at Academy Prep Center of Tampa. Tamayo reflects on the formative experiences and educational principles that have guided his work across public schools, higher education, and nonprofit leadership. He discusses the late Boston University president John Silber’s influence and the BU/Chelsea Partnership, including the challenges and rewards of advancing reform in an urban school district. Mr. Tamayo also recounts leading English for the Children of Massachusetts, the statewide ballot initiative that changed the Commonwealth’s bilingual education laws. He compares education reform in Massachusetts and Florida, explores Academy Prep’s work serving middle-school students, and considers Florida’s evolving school-choice landscape. Finally, Tamayo addresses the policies and leadership needed to strengthen academic standards, expand opportunity, and improve student outcomes nationwide.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools and Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University speak with Dr. Patrick Graff, senior fellow at the American Federation for Children. Dr. Graff discusses his journey from teaching third grade in Florida to working as an education researcher and policy advocate, and how seeing students benefit from tax credit scholarships shaped his interest in school choice. He explores the design of school choice programs, including how restrictive eligibility requirements and “failing school” labels can limit access and private school participation. Graff also discusses his research comparing increased public school spending with greater school competition, sharing that school choice can benefit both public and private schools while improving educational outcomes cost-effectively. Finally, he examines the new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, its broad student eligibility, potential to generate billions in scholarship funding, state participation, and what to watch as the program takes effect in 2027.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of Center for Strong Public Schools and Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University speak with Owen Stearns, CEO of Excel Academy Charter Schools. Stearns discusses his more than two decades of experience in charter school leadership and education reform. He shares how his formative educational experiences and background in strategy consulting shaped his approach to leading Excel, which now serves nearly 2,000 students across six schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He explores Excel’s academic expectations, distinctive school culture, teacher leadership, and focus on strong outcomes in reading and math. Stearns also discusses serving urban students and families, supporting students at risk of falling behind, and managing the network’s expansion while maintaining academic quality. Finally, he examines Massachusetts’ charter school landscape, the political challenges facing the sector since the 2016 ballot initiative loss, and what policymakers and charter leaders can do to support high-performing schools.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of Center for Strong Public Schools and retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson speak with historian and legal scholar Edward Larson, author of Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters. He explores how the thirteen colonies moved from resistance to British rule to the Declaration of Independence. Prof. Larson examines the influence of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and other revolutionary writings on the cause of liberty. He also discusses the political debates within the Continental Congress and John Adams’s leadership in the fight for independence. He turns to the military challenges facing George Washington and the Continental Army in 1776. Larson also examines the contradictions between the Revolution’s ideals of liberty and slavery in colonial America. He explains Thomas Jefferson’s role in drafting the Declaration of Independence, including his original draft's condemnation of the transatlantic slave trade. Additionally, Larson considers why 1776 still matters 250 years later. He discusses how studying American history and law can help us better understand and preserve the nation’s founding ideals. In closing, Prof. Larson reads a passage from Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of Center for Strong Public Schools and retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson speak with Ilan Wurman, Julius E. Davis Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, about constitutional originalism, textualism, and the enduring principles of the U.S. Constitution. Prof. Wurman discusses his new book, The Constitution of 1789, exploring the Constitution’s structure, separation of powers, federalism, and the Founders’ approach to legislative, executive, and judicial authority. He examines the intellectual influences that shaped the Founders, the significance of early state constitutions, and the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. Prof. Wurman also considers debates between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, limits on executive power, the proper role of the Supreme Court, federalism, and the Fourteenth Amendment. He reflects on how originalist principles can help restore America’s system of ordered liberty. Finally, Prof. Wurman reads a passage from his book, The Constitution of 1789.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Katie Everett of the Lynch Foundation, speak with Arne Duncan, former United States Secretary of Education for President Barack Obama and former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, about the current state of urban education and the federal school choice program. Sec. Duncan explains the politics behind governors opting into the federal education tax program, which provides a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to approved scholarship-granting organizations. In blue states that have opted in, like Colorado and New York, the program will benefit urban students, as well as high dosage tutoring, public district, public charter, voc-tech and religious school options for families. He also shares why he and Democrats for Education Reform urge other blue and red states alike to follow suit. Sec. Duncan closes by examining the political dynamics around why Bay State legislators and parents should encourage Governor Maura Healey to opt into this federal school choice program.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Walter Blanks, Policy and Advocacy Director of EdChoice speak with Carole Boston Weatherford, a New York Times best-selling author of more than 80 children’s books and a leading voice in African American children’s literature. Weatherford discusses her career writing poetry and history for young readers, including the challenges and rewards of making complex stories accessible through vivid language and imagery. She shares insights into her acclaimed books about Harriet Tubman and Jesse Owens, exploring faith, freedom, perseverance, and racism. Weatherford also discusses her latest book, Black Hands: Builders of Our Nation, which highlights the many contributions of African Americans throughout U.S. history, from the Middle Passage and Black Civil War regiments to HBCUs and the Civil Rights Movement. She explores the Harlem Renaissance and Black literary excellence while discussing how storytelling can help young people understand the people, struggles, and achievements that have shaped America. In closing, she reads a passage from her recent book, Black Hands: Builders of Our Nation.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Julie Young, a pioneering leader in virtual education, author of Say Yes!: How Virtual Became Reality, and coeditor of Virtual Schools, Actual Learning: Digital Education in America. They discuss Young’s more than three decades of experience advancing virtual, blended, and technology-enhanced learning, beginning with her founding leadership of Florida Virtual School. Young explores the lessons virtual education offers as K-12 schools navigate the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence, including technology’s impact on personalized learning, academic integrity, and the changing roles of teachers and schools. Drawing on her work at Arizona State University and ASU Preparatory Academy, Young discusses how educators and students have responded to AI, as well as the innovative Khan World School @ ASU Prep, a full-time online honors program serving students in grades 6–12. Young also considers how technology and AI can help address declining academic outcomes and drive systemic improvements in K-12 education.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Bob Nasson, Editor of The Concord Review and Executive Director of the National History Club. They discuss the importance of rigorous history education and students' essay writing in developing academic excellence. Since 1987, The Concord Review has published more than 1,600 history essays averaging 9,000 words, written by students from 47 U.S. states and 47 countries. Nasson explores the state of history essay writing among American students, the origins and mission of The Concord Review, and the National History Club’s efforts to encourage students to engage deeply with high academic quality history. He also discusses strengthening history instruction, the connection between reading and research writing, and the importance of humanities education in an increasingly STEM-focused landscape. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Nasson reflects on how students can explore the nation’s history in all its complexity. In closing, he reads the opening passage of an essay set to be published in The Concord Review’s September issue.

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson and Massachusetts state champion U.S. history and civics teacher Kelley Brown speak with Alison LaCroix, the Newton Reid Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, about the constitutional foundations of American federalism. Drawing on her book, The Ideological Origins of American Federalism, Prof. LaCroix explores the ancient Greek and Roman, the Enlightenment, and British Common Law models of federalism that so powerfully influenced Anglo-American constitutional thought. She discusses the Revolutionary and Founding generations' understanding of the natural law, the rights of colonies, and how national and state authority should be divided in a modern commercial republic, including the constitutional ideas of the American statesmen James Otis, John Adams, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Then, Prof. LaCroix provides an overview of her recent book The Interbellum Constitution: Union, Commerce, and Slavery in the Age of Federalisms. She examines the enduring historical and legal influences of the Marshall Court; Jeffersonian Supreme Court Justice William Johnson; Gibbons v. Ogden; and Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, on the various modes of early-19th century American federalism. Prof. LaCroix closes with a reading from The Interbellum Constitution.