About Academic Distinctions: A Podcast to Fix America's Schools
Hosted by Stephanie Melville and Zac Chase, "Academic Distinctions" is a podcast for educators that tackles the reading and research teachers often don't have time for. With experience as classroom teachers, district administrators, and federal policy wonks, the hosts bring a unique perspective to discussions on education's "greatest hits" and current events. The podcast is committed to delivering engaging, informative, and actionable content that is relevant and responsive to the needs of educators.
014: Priorities, Student Loans, and School Psychologists...oh my?
Hosts Stephanie and Zac analyze recent education news, including the Department of Education's math priority, changes to federal student loans, and the status of student mental health support.
4 Sept 2025
013: Tutoring, Laptops, and Grading for Equity? Not a silver bullet among 'em.
Host Stephanie and guest Zac explore tutoring effectiveness, laptop policies, and equitable grading, revealing nuanced insights into American education challenges.
27 Aug 2025
0012: Do we need to know more about cybersecurity than a re-watch of Hackers and Sneakers?
Host Zac and Stephanie interview Michael Klein, Senior Director for Preparedness and Response at the Institute for Security and Technology, about essential cybersecurity for schools and family preparedness.
13 Aug 2025
011: A Conversation with Former Secretary of Education John King, Pt. 2
Host John King, former U.S. Secretary of Education, shares insights on building community and fostering dialogue with those holding differing views in this interview.
7 Aug 2025
010: A Conversation with Former Secretary of Education John King, Pt. 1
Former Secretary of Education John King discusses his book *Teacher by Teacher* with hosts Zac and Stephanie, exploring hope for public education and fighting for student rights in this interview.
31 Jul 2025
009: What might be the power in doubting our own self doubts?
Cathy Williams from Stanford University's You Cubed discusses the impact of growth and fixed mindsets with hosts Zac and Stephanie, revealing how belief in one's learning ability enhances educational outcomes in this interview.
23 Jul 2025
008: Where's our money, Linda?
Hosts Zac and Stephanie discuss the Supreme Court's decision regarding the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget withholding Title funds with Education Law Professor Jon Becker in an interview.
16 Jul 2025
007: How much research is enough to know...anything?
Stephanie and Zac interview Dr. Maggie Beiting-Parrish, who examines the intended and unintended consequences of John Hattie's research, prompting listeners to question research in education.
24 Jun 2025
006: Why our brains like order and how John Hattie's rankings impacted education
Dr. Ji Sun explains why brains favor order and how John Hattie's rankings influenced education, while Stephanie and Zac explore methods for making new information more memorable in this interview episode.
4 Jun 2025
005: You'll miss your Office for Civil Rights when it's gone
Katy Joseph and Sam Ames, former chiefs of staff for the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, examine the office's origins, work, and future amid staff reductions in this interview with Stephanie and Zac.
20 May 2025
004: A pyramid scheme for learning?
Send us a text Stephanie and Zac unpack the of one of the most famous pyramids in education (Bloom's taxonomy) and attempt to draw a line from its post-WWII origins to the requirement of teachers writing their objectives on the board. For the second half of the show, researcher Katherine McEldoon joins to offer an alternative way to figure out if students' (and adults') brains are doing the work we hope they are during learning.
12 May 2025
003: What is IDEA and what's the future of special education with the skinny budget?
Send us a text Meghan Whittaker, former chief of staff for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education joins Stephanie and Zac to explain IDEA. From their they look at what could be the national impact on 7.5 million students receiving special education services if Trump's skinny budget becomes a reality. Spoiler: It's not great.
6 May 2025
002: Head Start, What Makes a School Public, and Parents Opting Out of Inclusive Books
Send us a text In this episode Dr. Jon Becker joins Stephanie and Zac to wrestle with another round of Head Start on the chopping block and the Supreme Court's impending decisions on what makes a public school...public...(or private?) and whether or not parents can opt their kids out of inclusive literature.
30 Apr 2025
001: EOs, AI, and Weaponized Education Funding
Stephanie and Zac dig in to a couple of last week's slew of Executive Orders and examine their potential implications for public educators. They welcome guest Diana Laufenberg, executive director of Inquiry Schools (https://www.inquiryschools.org/) to pull apart recent rulings from around the country on the Trump Administration's attempts to make federal curriculum policy by weaponizing funding allocated for helping students in poverty.
16 Apr 2025
000: An Introduction to Academic Distinctions
In this introduction to Academic Distinctions, Stephanie and Zac set the stage for the podcast and the season ahead promising discussion of education in the news, Bloom's, Hattie, PBIS, and a lot more.
Who has been a guest on Academic Distinctions: A Podcast to Fix America's Schools
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Michael Klein
John King
Cathy Williams
Jon Becker
Dr Maggie Beiting-Parrish
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
82
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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