Shows
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningYear in Review: Volume IVIn our final episode of the 2024-25 season, we reflect upon our year of learning and how our philosophies of education continue to evolve. We return to perennial questions: What's the purpose of education? Who gets to learn, and how? How do we best learn? What’s worth unlearning? And, where are we headed? From redefining student success to shifting attitudes on academic freedoms and institutional values, we’ve covered a lot of ground over the past year. We’ll revisit insights from guests on school leadership, student travel, pedagogy, rural education, and student-led local journalism. We’ll also grapple...2025-06-1228 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningSeattle’s Search for School Equity feat. Vivian Van GelderOur conversation this week is with Vivian Van Gelder, Director of Policy & Research at the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition, a nonprofit that unites more than 50 community organizations, schools, parents, and caregivers behind advocacy for equitable education policy. Vivian is the lead author of a report called Left to Chance: Student Outcomes in Seattle Public Schools, A forensic history. It’s a sweeping and detailed analysis of one public school district’s leadership and policy choices over more than three decades and how those choices have shaped the educational experience of tens of thousands of students attending more than 100 schools.2025-05-0158 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningThe Politics and Price of Free Speech in American SchoolsHigher education in the U.S. faces an unprecedented storm of political and financial upheaval, highlighting critical tensions around free speech, academic freedom, and institutional integrity. Columbia University's initial compliance with demands from the Trump administration—banning protest masks, revising protest policies, and ceding departmental autonomy—signals a troubling shift away from protecting academic freedom, but capitulation isn’t the end of the story. Harvard University is resisting similar pressures, fiercely defending the right to independent scholarship against federal overreach under Title VI. Universities like Cornell, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Pennsylvania are grappling with massive financial disrup...2025-04-1736 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningMass Firings & Campus Crackdowns: U.S. Academia Under FireWe’re rounding up and analyzing education news headlines this week on 16:1:The U.S. Department of Education is now half its former self—with 1,300 staffers gone and lawsuits brewing over what critics call a systematic gutting of civil rights protections. We’re sorting through the challenges and exploring the fallout on public education.Arrests of Palestinian student activists at Columbia have raised fresh questions about academic freedom and the future of the United States’ role in international scholarship. With visa crackdowns and a shaken reputation among U.S. universities, the stakes are higher than ever. Some European universi...2025-03-2031 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningDegrees on Arrival: The Steamboat LadiesThis episode features the story of how a group of more than 700 pioneering women in the UK smashed through barriers to higher education and claimed degrees from Trinity College Dublin. Denied their degrees at Oxford and Cambridge because of their gender despite successfully completing their exams, the “Steamboat ladies” made use of an early 1900s loophole to earn official recognition by making a trip across the Irish Sea. The episode also explores the broader suffrage movement at the turn of the century and profiles figures like Eleanor Rathbone and Margaret Hills, whose efforts paved the way for academic and prof...2025-03-0627 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningSenate Bills, Data Vaults, & Climate ClassesThis week’s news headline roundup covers the following stories:Proposed Ohio Senate Bill 1 higher education legislation targets DEI initiatives, faculty rights, and funding, sparking fierce debates across campuses.New research warns that leaning on generative artificial intelligence tools might be eroding our cognitive muscles, raising questions about AI tools in educational contexts.A NY Climate Change Education Bill would embed age-appropriate climate change lessons in K-12 curricula.Partially in response to recent data deletions, Harvard Law School’s Library Innovation Lab steps in to preserve over 300,000 federal public datasets for future research.For a full list of e...2025-02-2028 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningJerome Bruner: Shaping Education Through the Cognitive RevolutionExplore the life and work of Jerome Bruner, a pioneering psychologist, multidisciplinarian, and educator who transformed the study of learning. Discover how Bruner’s early experiences, including his corrective surgery for cataracts and his upbringing in New York City, influenced his path in education and cognitive psychology.Learn about Bruner’s role in moving psychology beyond rigid behaviorist frameworks, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of mental processes in learning. Explore Bruner’s belief that learners construct their own understanding through active discovery, and how this philosophy supports student-centered teaching methods.Hear about practical implications of scaffolding and spi...2025-02-0641 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningData Privacy, App Bans, and Keeping up with the College-BoundThis week in education news headlines, we cover:Australia has banned teenagers under 16 from using social media apps, with a one-year grace period for platforms to implement age verification measures.Disgraced college admissions advisor Rick Singer tries to stage a comeback with a new consulting venture.To boost incoming class sizes in a difficult economy, institutions like the University of Providence adopt direct admissions to streamline enrollment and promote diversity.A major data breach at K–12 software provider PowerSchool has affected numerous districts, emphasizing the growing need for robust cybersecurity and transparent safety protocols in schools.Higher education fa...2025-01-2337 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningRed Bricks, Revolution, and RenewalIn our final episode of 2024, the 16:1 hosts share reflections and takeaways from the 2024 NCTE National Conference held in Boston, Massachusetts. The event was inspiring and energizing, featuring notable figures such as Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, comedienne Kate McKinnon, social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson, and beloved authors such as Jo Knowles. Though exhausting, the conference left us re-energized and brimming with ideas! Join us as we cover:Nationwide initiatives to protect intellectual and academic freedom, combat book bans and censorship, and prioritize student mental health.Classroom-focused discussions on the ethical and practical applications of artificial intelligence in...2024-12-0540 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningClear The ListLast episode of the summer! Welcome to Episode 41, where we are trying to help #ClearTheList! This week your hosts discuss how public schools are funded, which also means we talk a lot about how the burden of buying school supplies falls onto teachers. Chelsea explains the ways that public schools get their funding and shares some staggering information about how more education funding would (quite obviously) be better for everyone. Katie discusses the movement that started #ClearTheList and explains the differences between an Amazon list and a Donors Choose fundraising option. If you are a teacher and have a...2021-08-1936 min
16:1 - Education, Teaching, & LearningMontessori SchoolsChelsea and Kate spend this week exploring the history and application of Montessori education. Kate dives deep into Montessori history, and Chelsea discusses core tenets of the Montessori approach to classroom learning. There's a new fill in the blank segment, so be sure to submit your answers to hello@sixteentoone.com. Kate learns about Schoology, and Chelsea goes spelunking in Minecraft Dungeons.Sources:American Montessori SocietyFamous Alums of MontessoriWaldorf EducationExploring Pros and Cons of Montessori"Montessori Comes to America" by Phyllis Povell 2020-07-0942 min