What can be done when the whole nation brings home a bad report card? Can kids really catch up from all the learning lost during the last few chaotic years? And what about the education gap that already existed prior to the Covid-19 pandemic? It’s clear that problems abound in our nation’s education system.

In a new episode of The Narrative podcast, special guest Robert Pondiscio of the American Enterprise Institute joins CCV President Aaron Baer and Policy Director David Mahan to discuss the complexities of these issues and direct our eyes toward a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Prior to this conversation, Aaron and David kick off the episode by unpacking the news of the day. Tune in to hear everything from moving testimonies of redemption from drug addiction to why the Ohio Supreme Court race is so crucial for the lives of the unborn this election season. 

Robert Pondiscio

Robert Pondiscio is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on K–12 education, curriculum, teaching, school choice, and charter schooling. Before joining AEI, Mr. Pondiscio was a policy analyst and education reform expert at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education policy think tank. He previously worked for the Core Knowledge Foundation and as an adviser and civics teacher at Democracy Prep Public Schools.

Mr. Pondiscio became interested in education policy issues when he started teaching fifth grade at a struggling South Bronx public school in 2002. Before that, he worked in journalism for 20 years, including in senior positions at Time and BusinessWeek.

Mr. Pondiscio is the author of many books, including “How the Other Half Learns: Equality, Excellence, and the Battle over School Choice” (Avery, 2019), which is about Success Academy Charter Schools and was widely reviewed and praised. 

Mr. Pondiscio has been extensively published in the popular press, including in The Atlantic, Education Next, New York Daily News, and The Wall Street Journal. As a frequent speaker, he is often interviewed on radio and television to discuss education issues. His appearances include CNN, Fox News Channel, and hundreds of local TV and radio programs.