This is a clip from Education Upgrade Episode 17.

Jake and Morgan explore why many people spend years chasing happiness, only to discover that peace may be the better goal. They reflect on growing up, finding purpose, and what truly matters.

For the full conversation, watch or listen to Education Upgrade Episode 17.

#EducationUpgrade #EssentialQuestion #PersonalGrowth #Happiness #Peace

In this episode of Education Upgrade, Jake Schulke and Morgan Torres-Unger-Castleberry continue their Grading for Equity book study with an in-depth discussion of Chapters 9 and 10, the core of Joe Feldman's framework for equitable grading.

The conversation examines fundamental assumptions about grading, including what grades are intended to measure, the role of homework and deadlines, mastery learning, reassessment, cheating, classroom authority, assessment design, and the use of AI to develop high-quality rubrics. Throughout the discussion, they explore practical strategies for designing grading systems that more accurately measure learning while encouraging teachers to critically evaluate and refine their own grading practices.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction & Returning to Grading for Equity

02:00 Why Chapters 9 & 10 Matter Most

08:24 Study Strategies: How to Read Educational Books

13:05 Deadlines, Homework, and What Grades Should Measure

27:00 From Percentages to Mastery-Based Grading

39:30 What Should Grades Actually Measure?

53:55 Creativity, Assessment Design & AI-Generated Rubrics

1:01:30 The Illusion of Control in Education

1:13:30 Cheating, Motivation & Student Behavior

1:30:20 Building an Ethical Grading System

1:46:35 Reengineering Your Grading Philosophy

1:52:00 Final Reflections & Looking Ahead

#EducationUpgrade #GradingForEquity #Education #Teachers #Assessment #MasteryLearning #StandardsBasedGrading #EducationalLeadership #Teaching #Cheating #Learning #EdChat #AIInEducation

This clip is an excerpt from Education Upgrade Episode 17.

In this conversation, Jake and Morgan explore a deceptively simple question: What is a teacher's most important job? Drawing on experiences in traditional and continuation high schools, they discuss relationships, mentorship, student engagement, and why helping students feel seen may matter as much as the curriculum itself.

For the full conversation and additional context, watch or listen to Episode 17.

#Education #Teaching #EducationUpgrade #AlternativeEducation #StudentSuccess #Mentorship #Teachers #Learning #SchoolCulture #EssentialQuestions

This Reel Talk episode is an edited segment from Education Upgrade Podcast Episode 17 featuring Morgan Torres-Unger-Castleberry.

In this conversation, Jake and Morgan discuss Mean Girls and explore a larger question: What role did movies once play in adolescent development?

Drawing on themes from the Education Upgrade essay Reel Talk: The Role of Teen Movies in Adolescent Development, they examine why films like Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club, and Dazed and Confused resonated so deeply with generations of young people. The conversation explores belonging, identity, social dynamics, and the universal challenges of growing up.

Related essay:
https://educationupgrade.substack.com/p/reel-talk

For the full conversation, including discussions on education, mentorship, learning gaps, and student development, watch or listen to Education Upgrade Podcast Episode 17.

Topics include:

• Mean Girls and adolescent development
• Why teen movies mattered
• Belonging and social identity
• Shared cultural experiences
• The lessons movies teach about growing up
• Why these stories continue to resonate today

Police in schools: safety measure or deeper problem? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Sebastián Sclofsky about random drug searches, school resource officers, and why some policies and practices might do more harm than good.

We discuss:

-Why random searches are often ineffective and what the data really shows

-How carceral logic-surveillance, discipline, and punishment-undermines student trust

-The unintended consequences of “zero tolerance” policies and the school-to-prison pipeline

-What safer, more transformative approaches to education might look like

-The bigger picture: capitalism, state violence, and the myths behind the “war on drugs”

If you’re an educator, parent, or anyone concerned about the future of schools, this episode will challenge the way you think about safety, authority, and trust in education.

More on Dr. Sclofsky:

https://www.sebasclofsky.com

email: jsclofsky@csustan.edu

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction & disclaimers

1:10 - Meeting Dr. Sebastian Sclofsky (and how this episode started)

4:30 - The classroom dog search incident

10:05 - Random searches, effectiveness, and false positives

15:45 - The carceral logic in schools: surveillance, control, and punishment

22:20 - Educational trust vs. policing authority

30:15 - Zero tolerance policies and their consequences

36:40 - The role of teachers, administrators, and counselors

44:10 - Why schools resemble prisons: “cells and bells” design

52:30 - Safe environments vs. punitive discipline

1:00:15 - Parents’ perspectives and the illusion of safety

1:08:40 - War on drugs, individual choice, and systemic issues

1:20:55 - Social trust, democracy, and the role of police

1:30:25 - The school-to-prison pipeline explained

1:39:10 - Can police be agents of social justice?

1:47:00 - Public policy, economics, and community engagement

1:55:45 - Closing thoughts: What schools and society should reconsider

In this episode, Jake and Morgan dive into Chapter 4, "Traditional Grading Hides Information, Invites Biases, and Provides Misleading Information," from Joe Feldman's transformative book "Grading for Equity." They explore Feldman's critique of traditional grading practices, discussing how methods like averaging grades and incorporating behavioral factors distort true measures of learning and disadvantage marginalized students. The conversation delves into the impact on student motivation, the perpetuation of inequities, and the importance of separating academic performance from behavior. Highlighting Feldman's advocacy for standards-based grading and formative assessments, Jake and Morgan share personal anecdotes and practical tips for implementing more equitable grading practices in classrooms, aiming to create a fairer and more effective educational system.As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links which follow. Using these links to purchase recommended books is a way to help support this podcast.Recommended Reading:Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman:Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CmMi2JAudiobook: https://amzn.to/3J7F9HlUNgrading by Susan BlumPaperback: https://amzn.to/3P5z0ztAudiobook: https://amzn.to/43yTxkjThe Self-Driven Child by by William Stixrud and Ned JohnsonPaperback: https://amzn.to/42z2nx7Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3CnmxiYWhat We Know About Grading: What Works, What Doesn't, and What's Next by Thomas R. Guskey & Susan M. BrookhartPaperback: https://amzn.to/3EoSgkLCHAPTERS:00:00 Opening00:20 Introduction & recap with takeaways12:26 Mechanisms of inaccuracy18:00 Behavioral data, bias, & human psychology33:00 Analyzing your gradebook: Feel good about noticing37:50 Psychological effects of gradebooks48:59 Grade hacks55:10 Mathematical soundness of the grade1:00:01 Questions to consider1:15:12 Closing

Grading for Equity Book Study #4

Jake and Morgan discuss Chapter 3: "How Traditional Grading Stifles Risk-Taking and Supports the Commodity of Grades" from the book Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman, a book that is helping schools and teachers upgrade the way that we assess and measure student learning. In our study of this chapter we discuss above all, the role of risk-taking and trust in teaching and learning, and we go into detail about how using grades as an artificial extrinsic incentive undermines the relationship of trust between student and teacher and thus undermines the process of learning. Any teachers who seek to understand the various impacts of grading practices should benefit from hearing and considering the ideas discussed, and likewise from reading the book and integrating the ideas into their practice. You can buy this book and others with the links below. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links which follow. Using these links to purchase recommended books is a way to help support this podcast. Recommended Reading: Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman: Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CmMi2J Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3J7F9Hl UNgrading by Susan Blum Paperback: https://amzn.to/3P5z0zt Audiobook: https://amzn.to/43yTxkj The Self-Driven Child by by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson Paperback: https://amzn.to/42z2nx7 Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3CnmxiY What We Know About Grading: What Works, What Doesn't, and What's Next by Thomas R. Guskey & Susan M. Brookhart Paperback: https://amzn.to/3EoSgkL CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Disclaimer

00:22 - Opening quote on trust & risk taking

01:40 - I broke into Morgan’s car.

05:17 - Checking in about work, grading, and communication

14:27 - Changing grading practices with a team

16:41 - Grading for Equity Chapter 3 Introduction

19:10 - Risk taking and safe failure 

20:37 - Points can undermine trust.

23:29 - What is this book study for?

26:31 - The way you grade affects everything.

33:14 - The pace of learning

39:06 - Wait, why are we doing a book study?

41:56 - Sending mixed messages to students

54:49 - Students as allies vs. adversaries

1:02:59 - Kill your ego or undermine trust

1:09:32 - Be the best substitute teacher you can be

1:15:59 - The element of trust

1:22:32 - Human connection, empathy, and critical thinking

1:27:33 - Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic rewards, and behavioral science

1:33:53 - Discussion on engagement

1:50:38 - Incentive systems

2:01:14 - Effects of points on self concept and anxiety

2:04:21 - Shares & celebrations, provoking thought

2:14:45 - Closing