ERS president and managing partner Jonathan Travers joins Mike Petrilli on The Education Gadfly Show to talk about school district budgeting during uncertain times.

Then, on the Research Minute, Adam Tyner shares a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality looking at district policies on pay bumps for teachers with master’s degrees, and how the money could be better spent.

Recommended content:

• The degree dilemma: School districts spend millions on ineffective master’s degree premiums —Katherine Bowser, National Council on Teacher Quality (August 2025)Close bad schools and expand good ones —Chad Aldeman
• When—and why—legislated school finance reforms don’t increase state education spending —Amber Northern and Jeff Murray
• An in-depth look at how Texas makes teacher merit pay work —Jessica Poiner
• The ESSER hangover is here —Marguerite Roza

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for our show? Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

On this week’s solo episode, Mike shares his thoughts on whether it’s ever okay to let schools opt out of state standardized tests and use nationally normed assessments instead.

Then, on a special Research Minute, Fordham’s own Adam Tyner and David Griffith share results from their brand new report about the pressure on teachers to give higher grades in the name of equity.

Recommended content:

Welcome to Lake Wobegon, Oklahoma —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

When private schools take public dollars: What's the place of accountability in school voucher programs? — Michael J. Petrilli, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Christina Hentges, and Amber M. Northern for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute (2009)

Evaluating the content and quality of next generation assessments —Nancy Doorey and Morgan Polikoff for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute (2016)

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“Equitable” grading through the eyes of teachers —David Griffith and Adam Tyner for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute (2025)

Grade inflation: Why it matters and how to stop it —Adam Tyner, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

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Don’t forget to sign up for a special webinar on equitable grading practices hosted by Jessica Grose of the New York Times on Wednesday, September 10 from 12-1 pm ET:

Does "equitable" grading lower expectations for students?

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Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? Send them to Alicia Anderson at aanderson@fordhaminstitute.org.

This week, Matthew Kraft, professor of education and economics at Brown University, joins The Education Gadfly Show to discuss the intersection of education policy and climate change.

Then, on the Research Minute, Adam Tyner examines whether an elite “exam school” led to better educational outcomes for its students.

Recommended content:

On education and climate change

• Education and climate change: Synthesizing the evidence to guide future research —Matthew Kraft, Sohil Malik, and Grace Falken, Anneberg Institute EdWorkingPaper (2025)
• Does spending on school facilities raise student test scores? —Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• How school HVAC systems affect learning —Ali Schalop, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

The Research Minute

• Optimal school system and curriculum design: Theory and evidence —Glenn Ellison & Parag A. Pathak, National Bureau of Economic Research (2025)
• Threading the needle on selective enrollment public schools —Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Feedback welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? Send them to Alicia Anderson at aanderson@fordhaminstitute.org.