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Higher Education
Emotional Intelligence
FAFSA
Low Income Students
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Children's Mental Health
Independent Play
Educational Leadership
Chronic Absenteeism
Family Engagement
Digital Wellness
Covid-19
Public Education
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In the complex world of education, the Harvard EdCast keeps the focus simple: what makes a difference for learners, educators, parents, and our communities. The EdCast is a weekly podcast about the ideas that shape education, from early learning through college and career. We talk to teachers, researchers, policymakers, and leaders of schools and systems in the US and around the world — looking fo... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes481Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EducationSociety & Culture

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Artwork for The Harvard EdCast

Latest Episodes

00:00 Why families fixate on elite colleges—and the rise of the “panicking class”

01:15 How rankings shape decisions (and why they mislead)

03:10 The truth about differences between top-ranked schools

04:45 Why choosing a college feels so confusin... more

0:25 — Why reading scores still struggle

2:15 — Rise of the science of reading

5:00 — Aligning leadership to drive reform

7:30 — Consistency and long-term commitment

10:00 — Implementation matters more than policy

12:30 — Where literacy efforts ... more

0:00 — Introduction

1:05 — The three types of sex education most people receive

3:20 — What comprehensive sexuality education actually means

5:10 — Why consent alone isn't enough

7:00 — Why sexuality education shouldn't be siloed in health class more

Harvard Graduate School of Education ProfessorKaren Brennan sees classrooms as magical spaces when we begin with curiosity, not just content.

“When I think about design process, from the initial moments of young people working on projects, all the w... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Kymyona Burk
Senior Policy Fellow at Excel in Ed
Excel in Ed
Episode: What Mississippi Got Right About Reading | Kymyona Burk
Shafia Zaloom
Health educator specializing in healthy sexuality and relationship education
Author of Getting Real About Sex Ed, What Today's Students Need
Episode: What Students Really Need from Sex Education | Shafia Zaloom
Karen Brennan
Harvard professor researching student-centered learning
Harvard Graduate School of Education; MIT
Episode: How Questions Can Transform Student-Centered Learning
Doug Larkin
Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning
Montclair State University
Episode: Why Teachers Stay: What Research Reveals About Retention
Suzanne Poole Patzelt
Assistant Professor in the Department of Alternative Programs and University Partnerships
Turrell University
Episode: Why Teachers Stay: What Research Reveals About Retention
Julia Minson
Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of How to Disagree Better
Harvard Kennedy School
Episode: How to Disagree Better: Strategies for Constructive Conversations
Eric Soto-Shed
A Harvard lecturer who co-leads the Civics Thinking Project, focusing on civics curriculum and instruction.
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Episode: Civics at 250: Teaching Democracy in an Unfinished Nation
Gabrielle Oliveira
Associate professor at Harvard and expert on migrant education.
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Episode: Understanding the Lives of Migrant Children in America
Jarvis Givens
Harvard professor who studies the relationship between race and power in schools.
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Episode: Race, Power, and the Making of America's Schools

Host

Jill Anderson
Host of The Harvard EdCast

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 145 ratings
  • Takes Harvard to state the obvious

    Most of these podcasts, I agree with 100% but they’re also nothing new. Many parents and educators have been thinking about this for a long time… Curiosity, the value of play, language immersion, and so on. But in our current US educational climate these approaches are mostly inaccessible because of costs, lotteries, or audition. Not to mention teachers don’t know what to do with kids who ask too many questions or are too rowdy.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    j_tyson
    United States5 months ago
  • Disturbing but insightful, thanks.

    Great show, I wish you didn’t have to report on such things.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BuffyRika
    United Statesa year ago
  • State of the Art Information

    This is the present and future of education from the hand of Harvard academics!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    __rxfx
    Mexico2 years ago
  • Pandemic state testing

    This episode was absolute garbage. Not only was it not compelling, it was convoluted and, frankly, absurd. Thinly veiled political shenanigans.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    ppiinncckk
    United States5 years ago
  • An essential listen for lifelong learners!

    So grateful for the Harvard EdCast! No matter the topic, I gain actionable information from every episode. An incredible resource for administrators, educators, and parents alike!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Arlie K
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

• Some listeners feel occasionally high-level, seeking more classroom-ready tactics.
• Episodes featuring high-profile academics are viewed as valuable and informative.
• A number of listeners criticize certain episodes as politically biased or overly academic.
• Broadly praised for actionable, research-backed insights across topics.

Top Education Podcasts

The Bossticks
The BossticksLauryn Bosstick and Michael Bosstick / Dear Media
Makes Sense - with Dr. JC Doornick
Makes Sense - with Dr. JC DoornickDr. JC Doornick "The Dragon"
Becoming UnDone
Becoming UnDoneToby Brooks

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

What Mississippi Got Right About Reading | Kymyona Burk
Q: What do you think has allowed Mississippi to stay the course?
A combination of strong leadership, sustained funding, and a deep commitment to implementation plus ongoing communications that built trust with schools, districts, and communities, ensuring the policy didn't just exist on paper but was acted upon year after year.
How Questions Can Transform Student-Centered Learning
Q: What strategies can educators use to start trying out these new ways of approaching their classroom?
Begin with incremental changes, introduce familiar activities with new perspectives, foreground student interests, and rely on teacher domain expertise and metacognitive scaffolding to support learners.
How Questions Can Transform Student-Centered Learning
Q: How can a teacher begin to shift toward a studio-style, self-directed learning environment without overwhelming students or losing momentum?
Tinker gradually—start with a small change, add one new strategy or activity, and build toward more student-led projects over time, leveraging collaboration and visible progress to sustain momentum.
How Questions Can Transform Student-Centered Learning
Q: Do you think we have gotten away from starting with questions in education, and how does that contrast with traditional approaches?
The approach challenges the instinct to front-load content and instead emphasizes creating space for learners to bring their questions forward, which leads to more meaningful, student-driven learning.
How to Disagree Better: Strategies for Constructive Conversations
Q: How can we approach conversations with opposing views effectively?
We can discuss with a focus on learning rather than persuading, signaling openness and curiosity.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Harvard EdCast

What is The Harvard EdCast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on practical ideas that improve learning for students, teachers, families, and education systems. Across episodes, guests tackle inquiry-led and equity-minded approaches, classroom strategy, civics and democratic engagement, migration and migrant education, tutoring and post-pandemic recovery, and the politics surrounding education research. Noteworthy is a strong emphasis on real-world implications, research-backed practices, and clear conversations with university professors, school leaders, and policy experts. The format tends to mix theoretical perspectives with actionable takeaways for districts, classrooms, and families, making it a useful resource for educators, administrators, and education researchers exploring inn... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The Harvard EdCast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Harvard EdCast:

1. The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast
2. The Daily
3. College Matters from The Chronicle
4. Code Switch
5. Explain It to Me

How many episodes of The Harvard EdCast are there?

The Harvard EdCast launched 10 years ago and published 481 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Harvard EdCast?

Recent guests on The Harvard EdCast include:

1. Kymyona Burk
2. Shafia Zaloom
3. Karen Brennan
4. Doug Larkin
5. Suzanne Poole Patzelt
6. Julia Minson
7. Eric Soto-Shed
8. Gabrielle Oliveira

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