Author: Palmer Media

Commencement season is here, and while we all love the tradition, let’s be honest: a lot of graduation ceremonies are still operationally stuck in the 18th century. This week, Chase Rigby, CEO of ⁠Tassel⁠, joins Mike Palmer to talk about what it actually takes to modernize the final milestone of the student lifecycle. Chase shares his path from teaching seventh-grade math and science with Teach For America to working as a product manager at Google, before ultimately using a search fund model to acquire Marching Order and evolve it into Tassel. We dig into why forward-thinking colleges are moving away…

In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer welcomes Erika Kitzmiller, a research associate professor at the University of Chicago and author of the new book, ⁠Unchartered: How One Public High School Transformed First Generation College Success⁠. Drawing on her own background as a former middle school teacher and a proud first-generation college graduate, Kitzmiller shares the insights gained from an intensive, multi-year case study of a public high school pseudonymously named Clayton. While the school boasted a near-100 percent college acceptance rate, only half of its alumni were successfully graduating from college. To address this gap, Kitzmiller…

Cheryl Strauss Einhorn joins Mike Palmer to discuss her latest book, ⁠The Human Edge: Smarter Decisions in the Age of AI⁠. As the founder of Decisive and a former investigative journalist for Barron’s, Cheryl brings a unique perspective to the world of problem solving. Her career shift from reporting on corporate scandals to teaching at Columbia University stems from a desire to move beyond simple awareness of cognitive biases and toward a system that actively counters them. The conversation centers on the AREA method, a decision making framework designed to manage the mental shortcuts that often lead us astray. Cheryl…

Host Mike Palmer welcomes Kenan Sahin, the Founder and President of ⁠CAMX Power⁠ and author of ⁠American Educational Excellence: The Foundation of Our Values, Democracy, and Market Capitalism⁠, to the podcast. We explore his educational roots as a product of California public schools and early career as an MIT professor, as well as his time leading Bell Labs as a Vice President of Technology. Kenan shares the story of the catalyst for his book, which began when he challenged an expert in the Hague who could not find enough bad words for the American system. He compares US-trained engineers to…

Kumar Garg, President of ⁠Renaissance Philanthropy⁠, rejoins host Mike Palmer for his third appearance on Trending in Ed, earning his highly coveted refrigerator magnet. Kumar discusses RenPhil’s growth and its mission to help donors invest effectively in science and technology research areas like AI, climate, and education. Big If True: The conversation explores the concept of “Big If True” and the ⁠Big If True Science (BITS) accelerator⁠. This framework focuses on transformative ideas that can have a tangible impact on a field within a three to five-year timeline. Rather than funding incremental research, BITS encourages researchers to identify the biggest…

In this special edition of Trending in Education, former colleagues reunite as Mike Palmer interviews Lorin Thomas-Tavel, the CEO of ⁠BrainPOP⁠. We explore the evolution of a major brand in EdTech and discuss how it continues to simplify complex topics for students and teachers alike. We dive into the 27-year history of BrainPOP, which began when a doctor created animated content to help young patients understand their own bodies. Today, the platform serves as a trusted companion for teachers in K-8 classrooms, focusing on sense-making during complicated times. We discuss the unique parasocial bond children and adults share with iconic…

LIVE! from the Harbor Terrace at ⁠ASU+GSV 2026⁠ in San Diego, Mike Palmer sits down with Victoria Weinfeld, Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Sales at ⁠Edconic⁠. In this fast-paced environment of “drinking from a fire hose,” Victoria shares the evolution of Edconic (formerly known as BrandED) and its unique mission to bridge the gap between traditional education and the future of work. Edconic specializes in creating industry-immersive programs alongside some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Vogue, The New York Times, Sotheby’s, Manchester City, and their newest partner, ⁠Mayo Clinic⁠. Victoria explains how these partnerships go beyond simple…

LIVE! from the ⁠ASU+GSV Summit⁠, Mike Palmer catches up with ⁠College Board⁠ President Jeremy Singer against the backdrop of the San Diego marina to dive into the launch of Jeremy’s new podcast, ⁠The Education Equation⁠. Produced by Mike, this new series aims to bring a much-needed level of scientific rigor to the education space, drawing inspiration from data-heavy health and fitness media to identify scalable, evidence-based practices that actually move the needle for students. Jeremy shares candid insights from his 13-year tenure, detailing how the College Board moved from a culture of slow stability to one of lean, COVID-tested responsiveness…

Recorded LIVE! on the Harbor Terrace at the ⁠ASU+GSV Summit⁠ in San Diego, Mike Palmer is joined by Dr. Steven Taylor, Policy Director and Senior Fellow for Economic Mobility at ⁠Stand Together Trust⁠. Steve brings a unique perspective to the table, combining a national philanthropic lens with his roles on the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the National Advisory Committee for Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The conversation captures the shifting energy of the summit, moving away from the peak of AI hype toward what Steve calls “optimistic skepticism” – a more mature look at how technology…

Coming to you live from the harbor terrace in sunny San Diego, Mike Palmer sits down with Karl Rectanus, the new CEO of ⁠Really Great Reading⁠, amidst the buzz of the ⁠ASU+GSV Summit⁠. Between views of sailboats and silver-lined clouds, the duo digs into why literacy remains the fundamental building block of the educational system and how we might finally be cracking the code on systemic improvement. Karl shares his unique path to leadership, which began with chasing a girl to Australia and starting a digital Q&A service for children museums during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This early taste of…