Editorial Staff

Will Fitzhugh on the Enduring Relevance of History Research & Writing

/0 Comments/in , , /by Editorial Staff
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on
LinkedIn
+

Will Fitzhugh, founder and editor of The Concord Review, an international journal that has published high school students’ history essays for 30 years, joins “The Learning Curve” this week. He discusses the importance of assigning serious history research and writing, and reading non-fiction, in K-12 education. Will describes the diverse backgrounds and successful college and career paths of some of the students published in The Concord Review.

Stories of the Year: New Orleans became the first city in the U.S. to convert all of its district schools to charters – with promising student achievement results. A new California bill will make it illegal for public schools to suspend disruptive students in grades K-8. Will this experiment address overreliance on punishment in the classroom, and racial imbalances in school discipline? A U.S. News story found that 20 percent of federal Title I funding meant for low-income, rural students instead went to larger urban districts with a higher proportion of wealthy families.

Newsmaker Interview:

Will Fitzhugh is the founder of The Concord Review. In well over 100 issues since 1987, the Review has thus far published nearly 1,300 history essays, averaging 8,500 words, by students from 45 states and 40 foreign countries. The Concord Review’s student authors most often attend Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, and other Ivy League colleges. Will earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard.

The next episode will air on January 3rd, with guest, Lance Izumi, senior director of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute and author of the book, Choosing Diversity: How Charter Schools Promote Diverse Learning Models and Meet the Diverse Needs of Parents and Children.

News links:

The Lens: “New Orleans Quietly Becomes First Major American City without Traditional District Schools”

The Sacramento Bee: California Bans Schools from Suspending Disruptive Kids

U.S. News: Congressionally Mandated Report Confirms Much of Federal Education Funding Is Wastefully Spent and Unfairly Allocated

Recent Episodes:

PRI’s Lance Izumi on The Great Classroom Collapse

Lance Izumi delves into his latest book, "The Great Classroom Collapse: Teachers, Students, and Parents Expose the Collapse of Learning in America's Schools". He discusses why, despite decades of education reforms and vast spending, many American students remain underprepared in critical subjects like reading and math.

AFC’s Denisha Allen on School Choice & Black Minds Matter

Denisha shares her journey and the motivations behind founding Black Minds Matter, a national movement dedicated to celebrating Black excellence and promoting high-quality educational options for Black students. She delves into the politics of urban school reform, highlighting the challenges posed by race and class-based achievement gaps and the political influence of teachers' unions.

UK’s Prof. Richard Holmes on Coleridge, the Ancient Mariner, & Poetry

Prof. Holmes delves into the life and literary legacy of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, one of the most significant poets of the Romantic era. Holmes offers a comprehensive overview of Coleridge's early education, highlighting how classical learning deeply influenced his worldview and writings.

NYT’s Anupreeta Das on Bill Gates, Microsoft, & Tech Billionaires

NYT’s South Asia correspondent, Anupreeta Das discusses how she became interested in writing her acclaimed biography, Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World, emphasizing Gates’ corporate and philanthropic influence on our era.

National Alliance’s Starlee Coleman on Public Charter Schools

Starlee Coleman discusses her role as CEO of the Texas Public Charter Schools Association, highlighting the growth of charter schools in Texas, as well as the broader efforts to expand school choice.

Houston Supt. Mike Miles & Urban School Reform

Mr. Miles reflects on his lifelong dedication to public service, starting as a soldier, then a diplomat, and later as an educational leader. He shares insights into his family background and formative experiences that shaped his commitment to serving the public.

Dr. David Heidler on Andrew Jackson & American Democracy

Dr. David Heidler discusses the transformative period of Jacksonian Democracy, from 1829 to 1837. He explores the political changes, sectionalism, and reforms that characterized the era, alongside the controversial figure of Andrew Jackson, whose volatile nature and strategic political management propelled his rise and image.

MIT’s Nobel Winner Joshua Angrist on the Economics of Education & Charter Public Schools

Prof. Angrist explores the controversies and his motivations behind studying K-12 education, emphasizing what policymakers often overlook about education and labor markets. He discusses his groundbreaking research on charter schools, highlighting how his findings have influenced policymakers. Angrist also talks about his Nobel-winning work on the analysis of causal relationships in economics and the innovative research currently underway at Blueprint, his lab at MIT.

Stanford’s Arnold Rampersad on Jackie Robinson

Stanford University Prof. Arnold Rampersad, author of Jackie Robinson: A Biography, discusses the life and legacy of Robinson, the hall of fame baseball player and history-changing civil rights leader.