Dropout Nation: Coverage of the Reform of American Public Education Edited by RiShawn Biddle

The Dropout Nation Podcast: Save Young Men

RiShawn Biddle — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:06:45 +0000

On this week’s Dropout Nation Podcast, I take a look at the Schott Foundation’s report on black males and offer reminders that the achievement gap is not just one of race. All males, especially black and white males, are failing badly, with major consequences for America’s economy and society. It will take the reform of how we teach reading to young men and Iron Men of all races to stem this aspect of the dropout crisis.

You can listen to the Podcast at RiShawn Biddle’s radio page or download directly to your iPod, Zune, MP3 player or smartphone. Also, subscribe to the podcast series. It is also available on iTunes, Blubrry, Podcast Alley, the Education Podcast Network, Zune Marketplace and PodBean. Also, add the podcast on Viigo, if you have a BlackBerry, iPhone or Android phone.

Rewind: The Dropout Nation Podcast: Iron Forges Iron

RiShawn Biddle — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:38:58 +0000

Photo courtesy of needsfoundation.org

As you continue flipping through the Schott Foundation’s new report on the low graduation rates of black males (and the educational crisis threatening the futures of our young black men), listen to this rebroadcast of April’s Dropout Nation Podcast on what black men must do to help their sons and the younger men around them. Older black men, raised by fathers and successful in life, must take on the roles of father figures (and champions in improving America’s education system) that these young men lack at home. These lessons also apply to white and Latino communities.

You can listen to the Podcast at RiShawn Biddle’s radio page or download directly to your iPod, MP3 player or smartphone. Also, subscribe to the podcast series. It is also available on iTunes, Blubrry, Podcast Alley, the Education Podcast Network, Zune Marketplace and PodBean. Also, add the podcast on Viigo, if you have a BlackBerry, iPhone or Android phone. On Friday, I’ll have more to say about the Schott report and the black male achievement gap.

The Dropout Nation Podcast: Take It Higher

RiShawn Biddle — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:28:21 +0000

This week’s Dropout Nation Podcast focuses on the internal cleansing school reformers and other caring adults must do to reform American public education. Far too many within traditional public education are either defending the status quo of systemic academic failure, anti-intellectualism, obsolete organizational structures and poor practices that perpetuate a dropout crisis in which 150 teens every hour drop out into poverty and prison. Strong action in reforming public education — including calling out those defenders — is key to improving and elevating education for our children.

Rewind: The Dropout Nation Podcast: Building a Culture of Genius in Education

RiShawn Biddle — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:07:16 +0000

As a further elaboration on Tuesday’s Dropout Nation commentary on the anti-intellectualism within traditional public education circles, listen to this Dropout Nation Podcast on the importance of fostering a culture of genius in education. Playing off John Taylor Gatto’s famed declaration, I discuss how schools and teachers should educate kids from the perspective that almost all children are geniuses. The emergence of high-quality alternatives to traditional public education, along with research on child development and teacher quality shows that all children can succeed if we foster a culture of genius in American public education.

The Dropout Nation Podcast: Five More Questions Every Parent Should Ask

RiShawn Biddle — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 19:16:04 +0000

On this week’s Dropout Nation Podcast — a continuation of last week’s podcast on Parent Power — I provide more questions for parents and other caregivers to ask in order to improve education for their kids. Families must be treated as the kings — and lead decision-makers in education — that they should be, even when school officials and teachers attempt to treat them as afterthoughts. Asking the right questions will give caring adults the ability to improve education for their child and for all children — and further sustain school reform.