K-12 Confidential

About K-12 Confidential

Even before the pandemic lock-downs, American teachers from sea to shining sea reported a critical shortage of teachers within their ranks, and have watched in horror at the crippling levels of greed, arrogance, apathy, and ignorance at every level of K-12 educational governance. While embattled teachers have continued to try in vain to draw attention to the issues, our leaders have failed to acknowledge the problems at all. But since covid, the nation’s teachers have borne witness to a break neck hastening pace of this downward spiral–and a total avoidance of a conversation from our leaders. This a-political podcast, created and produced exclusively by teachers, gets into the nitty gritty details of why teachers are leaving the profession in droves, and uncovers huge contributing structural problems baked into the teaching profession which are not discussed or understood even within the K-12 educational world, which also explain why so much of what is done in K-12 is ineffective. These desperate, passionate, highly qualified teachers use this podcast series to insert teachers forcefully into the national conversation about the critical issues plaguing K-12 education, because no one else was letting them in–a fact which belies a central thesis about the roots of the problems discussed throughout the episodes. Listeners will be gripped by the reality that without substantial reforms which empower teachers to lead the work, the inevitable result is a collapse of our very ability to effectively self-govern–a process which they argue is already well underway. Listen as they describe the problems in teacher pay, teacher preparation requirements, special education, climate and culture, reading instruction, the false promise of existing DEI based frameworks in K-12, and the problems inherent in outsourced canned curriculums. Become a part of the solution as they outline a framework to authentically fix these problems, which require all hands on deck from both inside and outside of K-12 education.

Publisher

Trina English Creator/Executive Producer/Co-Host, Co-Hosts: Manuwella Allen, Shawn English, Mandy Walker

Category

education · news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

14 Jul 2025

Latest episode

16 Nov 2025

Latest episodes

14 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Nov 2025

   Episode 12. The K-12 Governance Mess: Teacher Unions

   K-12 Confidential Co-Hosts, Trina and Mani, discuss the complexities and challenges faced by teachers and unions in K-12 education, specifically in the context of teacher strikes. The discussion includes U.S. literacy rankings, the impact of teacher unions, personal experiences of stress and burnout among educators, the financial struggles due to inadequate pay, and the emotional toll of going on strike. They highlight that teachers are often overworked, underpaid, and misrepresented by distr...

2. 

   3 Nov 2025

   K-12 Confidential Ep. 11--The K-12 Governance Mess: A Former Administrator Blows the Whistle!

   In this episode of K-12 Confidential, the hosts discuss the complexities and failings of K-12 governance with Roxanne, a former high-ranking administrator with over 40 years of experience in education. The episode delves into the problematic nature of current K-12 administration, characterized by a lack of teacher autonomy, the detrimental effects of standardized test-driven governance, and the deprofessionalization of roles such as librarians and nurses. Roxanne provides a historical perspec...

3. 

   26 Oct 2025

   Episode 10: The Teacher Pay Mess--an Interview with an Expert

   This episode of K-12 Confidential features an interview with Dr. Paul Bruno, a distinguished assistant professor of education policy. The discussion focuses on the complexities of teacher compensation, highlighting evidence that higher salaries significantly impact teacher recruitment and retention. The speakers emphasize the need for differential teacher pay and challenges the outdated step and column salary structures. Throughout, it advocates for the formation of a national K-12 educator g...

4. 

   18 Oct 2025

   Episode 9: Intro to the Teacher Pay Mess

   In this episode of K-12 Confidential, hosts Trina and Melissa discuss the critical issues surrounding teacher pay in the United States. Melissa, a veteran teacher with diverse educational experiences, joins Trina for an in-depth conversation about why teacher salaries are so low and the historical and systemic reasons behind it. They explore the impact of structural flaws in the educational system, the disparities in per-pupil spending across different states, and the misplaced values affecti...

5. 

   29 Sept 2025

   Episode 8: Take This Mess and Shove It!

   In this episode of the K-12 Confidential podcast, veteran educators discuss the dire state of the U.S. K-12 education system, focusing on the systemic issues driving teachers away. The episode features an interview with Kelvin Mack, a high school English teacher who left the profession after two years due to low pay and structural problems. Through this conversation, listeners gain insight into the challenges teachers face, such as emotional labor, lack of fair compensation, and the struggle ...

6. 

   21 Sept 2025

   Episode 7. Big Textbook Exposed: An Interview with Two Confidential Teacher Informants

   In this episode of the K 12 Confidential podcast, veteran teachers discuss the detrimental impact of canned curriculum in public schools. With an emphasis on the marginalization of English Language Development (ELD) teachers and students, the episode explores how lack of teacher autonomy and corporate-driven education solutions are harming the education system. Two ESL teachers share their struggles and experiences, revealing the inefficiencies and inequities caused by standardized, rigid cur...

7. 

   15 Sept 2025

   Episode 6. Intro to the "Big Textbook Mess:" Stuffing the Mess Into a Can

   In this episode of K 12 Confidential, the host introduces the 'Can Curriculum Mess' series, outlining the basic problems with large textbook companies in U.S. K-12 education. The episode discusses the massive profits of these companies despite low literacy rates, and the detrimental effects of canned curriculum on both teachers and students. It highlights how such curriculum limits teacher autonomy, fails to meet the specific needs of students, and contributes to teacher burnout and shortages...

8. 

   30 Aug 2025

   Episode 5. Evidence of the Mess: An Interview with Dr. Paul Bruno

   In this episode of K-12 Confidential, the hosts discuss the convoluted and fragmented governance of K-12 education and its role in the teacher shortage crisis. The core argument posits that the decentralized local control model obfuscates accountability, leading the public to mistakenly blame teachers and the federal government. The podcast extends an invitation for public engagement and emphasizes the non-partisan nature of the discussion. It features an interview with Dr. Paul Bruno, co-aut...

9. 

   24 Aug 2025

   Episode 4. The Teacher Shortage Mess: Where Did All the Teachers Go?

   In this episode of K12 Confidential, we delve into the complexities surrounding the teacher shortage crisis in the United States. As the new school year kicks off, many school districts struggle to fill vacant teaching positions. The host traces back the origins of misleading media reports about this crisis to one scholarly article and speaks with one of its authors to clarify the data. The episode tackles the intricate nature of the problem, explores how AI misinterprets data, and highlights...

10. 

    21 Aug 2025

    Episode 3. Introduction to the Teacher Shortage Mess

    The podcast 'K-12 Confidential' addresses the multifaceted issues within the American K-12 education system, focusing on the severe teacher shortage crisis. Hosted by Trina and new co-host Manuwellla Allen (Mani), the discussion highlights how low literacy rates and inadequate teacher preparation impact educational quality. Notable contributions include Dr. Paul Bruno's research on the teacher shortage, emphasizing the lack of consistent data reporting across districts and the nuances of the ...

11. 

    4 Aug 2025

    Episode 2. Introduction to the Messes: Experts Chime In

    In this introductory episode of the K-12 Confidential podcast, hosts Shawn and Trina—a married couple with over 35 years of teaching experience—discuss the current state of K-12 education in the U.S., touching on various systemic issues such as poor literacy rates, teacher shortages, inadequate pay, and flawed teacher preparation programs.. The episode sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of 'messes' in the education system, with the goal of mobilizing teachers and stakeholders towards ...

12. 

    4 Aug 2025

    Episode 1. Intro to the Messes: K-12 Education is BIZARRE!

    The inaugural episode of the K 12 Confidential podcast dives into the complex and pressing issues plaguing the American K-12 education system. Host Trina English discusses with her sister Mandy Walker the alarming states of literacy and sexual violence in schools, the opaque and ineffective governance structures, and the exploitative practices of for-profit educational corporations. The episode sets the stage for a series of investigative discussions aimed at unveiling the root causes and pro...

13. 

    3 Aug 2025

    Episode 0. K12 Confidential--Episode 0: We Don't Need Another Hero

    Our short scripted description of our podcast! Welcome to K 12 Confidential, a podcast crafted by veteran K 12 teachers for the American people. This introductory episode outlines the podcast's mission to uncover the harsh realities and systemic issues plaguing K 12 education. Highlights include deep investigative journalism, a call to action to center teacher voices, and themes focused on the structural problems in the education system. The podcast promises apolitical, bipartisan discussions...

14. 

    14 Jul 2025

    K-12 Confidential Intro Song

    We need more teacher voices to this this justice! Visit us at k-12confidential.com to request to speak on the podcast. Sign the petition to join the movement to save K-12 Education!

Contact K-12 Confidential

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.