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Podcast

When state curriculum lists go bad | Episode 1007 of The Education Gadfly Show

Karen Vaites Michael J. Petrilli David Griffith, Ph.D. Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.
2.25.2026
 

Karen Vaites, founder of The Curriculum Insight Project, joins us to discuss the evolving debate over curriculum reviews and state adoption policies. As more states look to third-party evaluations to guide decisions—and some consider mandating state-approved lists—how can policymakers avoid making costly mistakes?

Then on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines new evidence on whether teacher effectiveness truly transfers when high-performing educators move into lower-achieving schools.

Recommended content:

  • Educators Were Sold a Story About Phonemic Awareness —Karen Vaites, The Curriculum Insight Project
  • What American Education Reformers Can Learn from England — Helen Baxendale, Education Next
  • Is Teacher Effectiveness Fully Portable? Evidence from the Random Assignment of Transfer Incentives —Matthew A. Kraft, John P. Papay, Jessalynn James and Manuel Monti-Nussbaum, EdWorkingPapers (2026)

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show in 2026? We would love to hear them. Send them to [email protected]

Karen Vaites

Founder, Curriculum Insight Project

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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Amber Northern is senior vice president for research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where she supervises the Institute’s robust research portfolio and…

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