This has been quite an active year in Austin, between the regular and special legislative sessions. Lawmakers have been busy, and the world of education is no exception. But which laws are actually creating a tangible impact on Texas classrooms, and more importantly, what are our students and families actually talking about?

On this month's episode, Lance, Natalie, and Matthew cut through the noise of the huge glut of bills that have recently gone into implementation mode. We try to answer the question of which laws are actually on the minds of public school students, and which are better left "unread."

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Hosted By: Natalie Arias, Matthew Balter and Lance Barasch

Produced By: Ace Arias

Since the pandemic, adolescent boredom has been on a steady and concerning rise. Many studies point to excessive screen time as being a major contributing factor to this rise in boredom. But it's no different in the classroom; kids in school are...well...bored. And more so now than in years passed. From favorite TV shows to movies, music to literature, all too often the American classroom is portrayed as place where boredom thrives. Is school boring? And if so, why?

For today's episode we're joined by two high school students who give their pespectives on what makes school so boring, and how that problem might be addressed.

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Join the Conversation! Connect with us on Instagram and send us a DM with your thoughts or questions on any and All Things Education. Your submission may be featured on a future episode!

Hosted By: Natalie Arias, Matthew Balter and Lance Barasch

Produced By: Ace Arias

Teacher preparation in Texas has, for a long time, entailed a semester in a classroom marked mostly by observation and with little hands-on practice. That's all evolving thanks to big changes in policy, funding and regulation around educator preparation programs!

For today's episode, we're joined by Geoff Carlisle and Patrick Steck from Deans For Impact. They share key insights on the future of teacher apprenticeships and the potential impact of this shift for education stakeholders in Texas and Nationwide.

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Join the Conversation! Connect with us on Instagram and send us a DM with your thoughts or questions on any and All Things Education. Your submission may be featured on a future episode!

Hosted By: Natalie Arias, Matthew Balter and Lance Barasch

Produced By: Ace Arias

The 89th Texas Legislature has adjourned, and there was a lot of exciting action around public education this time around!

In today's episode we debrief major legislation that passed, and examine other legislation that was highly-anticipated but failed to make it across the finish line. Tune in for our take on what matters most as the conversation continues around state assessments and the accountability system that is so closely tied to them.

Now Playing on all major platforms! Follow and Share wherever you listen to podcasts. We appreciate your ratings and reviews!

Join the Conversation! Connect with us on Instagram and send us a DM with your thoughts or questions on any and All Things Education. Your submission may be featured on a future episode!

Hosted By: Natalie Arias, Matthew Balter and Lance Barasch

Produced By: Ace Arias

Are we preparing our students for the future, and what does that even mean in 2025?

As we ride the latest wave of big tech advancement, what do we do about AI in schools?

These are the million-dollar questions we're exploring in today's episode, with varied opinions and perspectives among the ATE pod team.

Now Playing on all major platforms! Follow and Share wherever you listen to podcasts. We appreciate your ratings and reviews!

Join the Conversation! Connect with us on Instagram and send us a DM with your thoughts or questions on any and All Things Education. Your submission may be featured on a future episode!

Hosted By: Natalie Arias, Matthew Balter and Lance Barasch

Produced By: Ace Arias

Is it a birthday or an anniversary? We're going with 'BirthAversary' to commemorate our first, full year of the All Things Education podcast!

Join us for this special episode celebrating the experience and impact of education advocacy... and not just ours! Today's pod features Teach Plus Texas Policy Fellows Mollie, Christian, April and Andrea sharing their real-time experience advocating at the State Capitol during the full-swing of the 89th legislative session.

A special thank you to Texas State Representative Linda Garcia (HD 107) for sharing her perspective on the importance of advocacy to the effective service of an elected official!

Now Playing on all major platforms! Follow and Share wherever you listen to podcasts. We appreciate your ratings and reviews!

Join the Conversation! Connect with us on Instagram and send us a DM with your thoughts or questions on any and All Things Education. Your submission may be featured on a future episode!

Hosted By: Natalie Arias, Matthew Balter and Lance Barasch

Produced By: Ace Arias

Well, now what? Vouchers are likely to pass during the current legislative session, which will divert public money away from public schools. Meanwhile, severely overdue increases to the state's student allotment remain to be satisfied. Public schools have long served as bedrocks of their communities; Don't they deserve to be adequately funded?

In today's episode, we examine some of the ways that public education, as an institution, is being challenged like never before. Listen to hear our take on the value of public schools, and our response to some of the loudest arguments against them.

Now Playing on all major platforms! Follow and Share wherever you listen to podcasts. We appreciate your ratings and reviews!

Join the Conversation! Connect with us on Instagram and send a voice note via DM with your thoughts or questions on any and All Things Education. Your submission may be featured on a future episode!

Hosted By: Natalie Arias, Matthew Balter and Lance Barasch

Produced By: Ace Arias

HOT TOPIC ALERT! Cell phones have become a major issue in schools; So much so that the conversation has made it all the way to the state capitol and legislation has been proposed around it.

Join us today as we discuss the various ways that schools and the state of Texas are responding to the challenges that cell phones present in the modern classroom dynamic.

Resources:

Texas Monthly article on what we can expect to hear about cell phones during session.

Austin American-Statesman article on cell phone bans in schools.

Dallas Morning News article on the effect of a cell phone ban at a Dallas High School.

Now Playing on all major platforms! Follow and Share wherever you listen to podcasts. We appreciate your ratings and reviews!

Join the Conversation! Connect with us on Instagram and send a voice note via DM with your thoughts or questions on any and All Things Education. Your submission may be featured on a future episode!

Hosted By: Natalie Arias, Matthew Balter and Lance Barasch

Produced By: Ace Arias