Author: Palmer Media

On this episode of Trending in Education, Mike Palmer welcomes author ⁠Scott R. Levy⁠ to discuss his new book, ⁠Why School Boards Matter: Reclaiming the Heart of American Education and Democracy⁠. Scott shares his journey from Wall Street to serving on his local school board in 2015, driven by the unintended negative consequences he observed from federal programs like Race to the Top. We dive into how school boards transitioned from being a “quiet part” of civic society to a focal point of public consciousness during the COVID years and following George Floyd, dealing with intense issues from school reopening…

In this special episode of ⁠Trending in Ed⁠, host ⁠Mike Palmer⁠ is LIVE! at Google’s Headquarters in Chicago for ⁠Collegis Education⁠‘s DisruptED event, providing highlights from six in-depth interviews with nine leaders in higher ed, technology, data, market analysis, and research. We begin by hearing from ⁠Kim Fahey⁠, the CEO of Collegis, who provides some framing about the role her team plays providing managed services to schools trying to leverage technology, data and innovation in new and relevant ways. Kim kicks things off and helps frame the context and the conversations that follow. Then Mike interviews ⁠Charles Elliott⁠ from ⁠Google⁠…

In K-12 education, the urgency of children’s needs often eclipses strategic thought, resulting in constant reaction and a “whack-a-mole” approach to problems. We talk with co-authors Elizabeth “Liz” City and Rachel Curtis about their new book, ⁠Leading Strategically: Achieving Ambitious Goals in Education⁠, which offers a practical, accessible framework for leaders at all levels—from teachers to superintendents—to shift from constant doing to intentional, effective action. Liz City, a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Rachel Curtis, a consultant with deep experience in the Boston Public Schools, draw on their decades of work to move beyond the…

We are thrilled to welcome a fellow podcaster and longtime education journalist, Jeff Young, to the show. Many know Jeff’s work from his time hosting the weekly EdSurge Podcast, where he was a consistent voice covering the intersection of technology and learning. Now, Jeff is out on his own and has launched a new project to tackle the biggest story in education: AI and the fundamental questions it raises about what it means to learn. Jeff and Mike dive into his extensive background—from his early days at The Chronicle of Higher Education covering the dawn of the internet on college…

Mike Palmer⁠ welcomes back Friend of the Show, ⁠AJ Gutierrez⁠, the pioneering co-founder of Saga Education, now CEO of ⁠Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS)⁠. AJ shares his transition from direct service to a focus on systemic change, detailing the crucial, often overlooked, mission of EOS: identifying and accelerating equitable opportunity for high-potential students. Historically, education equity conversations focus on raising students to grade level; EOS tackles the issue of “stranded brilliance” by finding students—disproportionately Black and Brown students experiencing poverty—who are ready for advanced coursework but are being overlooked. AJ cites compelling research from Mathematica demonstrating that students placed in AP…

Welcome to an inspiring conversation on the future of learning with Michael Ioffe, founder of ⁠Arist⁠, a company doing really interesting work in education. Michael is a Forbes 30 under 30 and a Thiel fellow. Michael joins host Mike Palmer to share his journey, beginning with his early obsession with education, influenced by his parents, who were refugees. His experiences, including scaling free live conversations with entrepreneurs to 500 cities in 50 countries by age 18, led to a critical insight in a war zone in Yemen: the best way to deliver learning where educational resources and internet access are…

Welcome to a compelling conversation on ⁠Trending in Education⁠, where we explore how innovative thinking and technology can transform public education. In this episode, ⁠Mike Palmer⁠ talks with ⁠Michelle Vilchez⁠, CEO, and ⁠Sean Michael Hardy⁠, Vice President of National Organizing and Advocacy, from ⁠Innovate Public Schools⁠. They discuss their groundbreaking work in empowering parents and leveraging artificial intelligence to create a new tool called ⁠AI-EP, a project developed in collaboration with Northeastern University’s Burnes Center for Social Change⁠. Why You Should Listen: Empowering Parents: This episode highlights how a nonprofit organization is shifting power to parents, particularly those from marginalized…

Mike Palmer⁠ is joined on this episode of ⁠Trending in Ed⁠ by Rich Braden and Tessa Forshaw, co-authors of the new book, ⁠Innovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World⁠. They talk about the core concepts of their book, including the “creativity gap,” “innovation mythology,” and “cognitive caution”. We discuss how these ideas apply not only in business but also in education, and why creativity is not a magical quality but a skill that can be taught and cultivated. We also explore the role of AI in the creative process and how it can…

On this episode of ⁠Trending in Ed⁠, ⁠Mike Palmer⁠ is joined by Howard Blumenthal and Dr. Bob Pianta, co-authors of the new book, ⁠Kids on Earth: The Learning Potential of 5 Billion Minds⁠. We discuss the research and ideas behind their book, which explores how learning takes place for kids in real life and how that can be better translated into schools. We also delve into the distinction between “old school,” “not school,” and “new school” models of education. Key Takeaways Reinventing Education: We need to recognize that the traditional “old school” model, which relies on an industrial approach and…

Trending in Ed⁠ is back for its 10th season! ⁠Mike Palmer⁠ is kicking things off by reflecting on the past nine seasons and sharing what’s in store for the Fall. We’re excited to announce that the podcast will be offering dedicated feeds for listeners who want to go deep on specific topics like AI, K-12, higher education / the future of work, and author interviews about books. In this kickoff episode, Mike shares his eight trends for Fall 2025: Independent Media & Free Speech: Highlighting the importance of independent media and calling out the “chilling effects” on free speech in…