Can education reform help Democrats win again?

Ben Austin Michael J. Petrilli David Griffith, Ph.D. Adam Tyner, Ph.D.

8.6.2025

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show, Ben Austin, Founding Director of Education Civil Rights Now, joins us to discuss why the Democratic Party lost its way on education policy—and what it must do to rebuild credibility and improve its chances in national elections.

Then, on the Research Minute, Adam shares a new study on state takeovers of school districts, examining who benefits and how these interventions impact district finances.

Recommended content:

“Democrats have lost their way on education policy. Here’s how to get back on track.” —Ben Austin, The Hill
“Democrats need to break up with Randi Weingarten” —Ben Austin, The Hill
“Trump’s school choice initiative puts Democratic governors in a bind” —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
“Help wanted: Ed-reform governors needed (again)” —Chester E. Finn, Jr., Thomas B. Fordham Institute
“How state takeovers of school districts affect education finance, 1990 to 2019”—Melissa Arnold Lyon, Joshua Bleiberg, and Beth Schueler, Education Finance and Policy (2025)

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Alicia Anderson at [email protected].

Ben Austin

Ben is the Founding Director of Education Civil Rights Now, a national non-profit with the mission of establishing a constitutional right to a high quality public education for children in multiple states across the nation. Between 2017-2021 Ben ran Kids Coalition with a similar mission for the children of Los Angeles.

President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Michael J. Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, executive editor of Education Next, editor in chief of the Education Gadfly Weekly, host of the…

David Griffith is the National Research Director at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he manages or authors reports on various subjects including charter schools, …

Adam Tyner was a member of the Fordham Institute's national research team from 2017 to 2025. In 2025 he became executive director of the Oklahoma Center for Education Policy at the University of Oklahoma.