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Podcast

The collapse of graduation standards | Episode 992 of The Education Gadfly Show

Chester E. Finn, Jr. Michael J. Petrilli David Griffith, Ph.D.
10.29.2025
 

This week, Fordham’s President Emeritus Checker Finn joins the show to unpack a troubling trend—the collapse of graduation standards—and why it matters for every American student.

Then, on David Griffith’s first Research Minute, a new study looks at the demographics of college applicants interested in teaching in America—and explores why some who enter similar “helping professions,” like nursing and social work, steer clear of the classroom.

Recommended content:

  • High school graduation standards have collapsed. Does it matter? —Michael J. Petrilli, Schooled

  • Are high school graduation standards too low? —Michael J. Petrilli, Schooled

  • The end of MCAS is the end of an era. Now let’s figure out what comes next. —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

  • Who wants to be a teacher? —Robert Chung, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

  • Who wants to be a teacher in America? —Brendan Bartanen, Andrew Avitabile, and Andrew Kwok, EdWorking Papers (2025)

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? Send them to [email protected]

Chester E. Finn, Jr., scholar, educator and public servant, has devoted his career to improving education in the United States. At Fordham, he is now Distinguished Senior Fellow and President Emeritus. He’s also a Volker Senior Fellow at…

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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…

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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, …

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