window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"mindshift_66183": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66183",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66183",
"found": true
},
"title": "FINLAND-SCHOOL",
"publishDate": 1773379460,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66177,
"modified": 1773379616,
"caption": "Jackets and shoes of pupils are seen 17 August 2005 in a primary school in Vaasa, on the second day of school in Finland. ",
"credit": "Olivier Morin/AFP via Getty Images",
"altTag": "Coats hang on hooks above shoes outside of a classroom",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-2000x1360.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1360,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-2000x1360.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1360,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-160x109.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 109,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-768x522.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 522,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-1536x1044.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1044,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-2048x1392.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1392,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-2000x1360.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1360,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/GettyImages-1786344292-scaled.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1740
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"mindshift_66191": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66191",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66191",
"found": true
},
"title": "hbarczyk_npr_educationmonitoring_final.jpg",
"publishDate": 1773423912,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66190,
"modified": 1773424016,
"caption": null,
"credit": "Hanna Barczyk / NPR",
"altTag": "Illustration of a man blinded with tape as students watch",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-2000x1333.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-2000x1333.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-160x107.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-768x512.jpeg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-1536x1024.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-2048x1365.jpeg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1365,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-2000x1333.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-1200x675.jpeg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/hbarczyk-npr-educationmonitoring-final-scaled.jpeg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1707
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"mindshift_66172": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66172",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66172",
"found": true
},
"title": "npr_willpower_Final.hi.jpg",
"publishDate": 1773111799,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66171,
"modified": 1773112174,
"caption": null,
"credit": "Andrea D'Aquino/NPR",
"altTag": "Illustration of a child surrounded by temptations",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-2000x1125.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1125,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-2000x1125.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1125,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-160x90.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-768x432.jpeg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-1536x864.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-2048x1152.jpeg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1152,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-2000x1125.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1125,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-1200x675.jpeg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/npr-willpower-final-hi-scaled.jpeg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1440
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"mindshift_66168": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66168",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66168",
"found": true
},
"title": "Man, sports and handshake for team introduction, greeting or sportsmanship on the grass field outdoors. Sport men shaking hands before match or game for competition, training or workout exercise",
"publishDate": 1773110099,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66159,
"modified": 1773110133,
"caption": null,
"credit": "Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock",
"altTag": "Soccer players shake hands",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-2000x1334.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-2000x1334.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-2048x1366.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1366,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-2000x1334.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-1511568239.jpg",
"width": 2120,
"height": 1414
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"mindshift_66163": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66163",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66163",
"found": true
},
"title": "proof-northern-1-scaled",
"publishDate": 1773011429,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66162,
"modified": 1773012164,
"caption": null,
"credit": "Allison Robbert/AP Photo",
"altTag": "A flag in front of a government building",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-2000x1334.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-2000x1334.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1366,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-2000x1334.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-1-scaled-1.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1707
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"mindshift_66156": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66156",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66156",
"found": true
},
"title": "LJohnson-AI-usage-schools.jpg",
"publishDate": 1772822515,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66155,
"modified": 1772822521,
"caption": "LJohnson-AI-usage-schools.jpg",
"credit": null,
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-2000x1333.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-2000x1333.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-160x107.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-768x512.jpeg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-1536x1024.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-2048x1365.jpeg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1365,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-2000x1333.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-1200x675.jpeg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/ljohnson-ai-usage-schools-scaled.jpeg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1707
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"mindshift_66150": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66150",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66150",
"found": true
},
"title": "Using a smartphone while a laptop is open, with social media icons floating, such as likes, hearts, and comments, representing online interaction and digital lifestyle.",
"publishDate": 1772384317,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66149,
"modified": 1772384351,
"caption": null,
"credit": "JTKPHOTOz/iStock",
"altTag": "Teen scrolls on phone while working on laptop",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-2000x1125.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1125,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-2000x1125.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1125,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-2048x1152.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1152,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-2000x1125.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1125,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/iStock-2222921106.jpg",
"width": 2309,
"height": 1299
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"mindshift_66145": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66145",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66145",
"found": true
},
"title": "proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled",
"publishDate": 1771823703,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66144,
"modified": 1771823749,
"caption": null,
"credit": "Michael Wyke/Associated Press",
"altTag": "Parent helping child with homework at table",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-2000x1333.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-2000x1333.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-2048x1365.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1365,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-2000x1333.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/proof-parentsgrade-021826-scaled-1.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1706
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"mindshift_66136": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66136",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66136",
"found": true
},
"title": "Urban Assembly Gateway for Technology",
"publishDate": 1771222457,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66135,
"modified": 1771222523,
"caption": "11th-graders at the Urban Assembly Gateway for Technology prepare for an experiment in chemistry class.\n",
"credit": "Meredith Kolodner/The Hechinger Report",
"altTag": "High school students in classroom",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology-2000x1500.png",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1500,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology-2000x1500.png",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1500,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology-160x120.png",
"width": 160,
"height": 120,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology-768x576.png",
"width": 768,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology-1536x1152.png",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1152,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology-2000x1500.png",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1500,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology-1200x675.png",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/Urban-Assembly-Gateway-for-Technology.png",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1536
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"mindshift_66126": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "mindshift_66126",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66126",
"found": true
},
"title": null,
"publishDate": 1771004084,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 66125,
"modified": 1771004458,
"caption": null,
"credit": "Westend61/Getty Images",
"altTag": "An illustration of two women laughing and talking over coffee at a cafe.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/lk-acquaintance-to-friend-2-gettyimages-2207542966-copy-160x90.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/lk-acquaintance-to-friend-2-gettyimages-2207542966-copy-768x432.jpeg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/lk-acquaintance-to-friend-2-gettyimages-2207542966-copy-1536x864.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/lk-acquaintance-to-friend-2-gettyimages-2207542966-copy-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/lk-acquaintance-to-friend-2-gettyimages-2207542966-copy-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/lk-acquaintance-to-friend-2-gettyimages-2207542966-copy-1200x675.jpeg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/02/lk-acquaintance-to-friend-2-gettyimages-2207542966-copy.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1125
}
},
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_mindshift_66190": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_mindshift_66190",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_mindshift_66190",
"name": "Cory Turner",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_mindshift_66171": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_mindshift_66171",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_mindshift_66171",
"name": "Michaeleen Doucleff",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_mindshift_66162": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_mindshift_66162",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_mindshift_66162",
"name": "Jill Barshay, \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_mindshift_66155": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_mindshift_66155",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_mindshift_66155",
"name": "Lee V. Gaines",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_mindshift_66144": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_mindshift_66144",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_mindshift_66144",
"name": "Jill Barshay, \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_mindshift_66135": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_mindshift_66135",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_mindshift_66135",
"name": "Jill Barshay, \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_mindshift_66125": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_mindshift_66125",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_mindshift_66125",
"name": "Marielle Segarra and Malaka Gharib",
"isLoading": false
},
"lindaflan": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "4613",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "4613",
"found": true
},
"name": "Linda Flanagan",
"firstName": "Linda",
"lastName": "Flanagan",
"slug": "lindaflan",
"email": "lindaflan@comcast.net",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": "Linda Flanagan is a freelance writer, researcher, and editor. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, Running Times, and Mind/Shift, and she blogs regularly for the Huffington Post. Linda writes about education, culture, athletics, youth sports, mental health, politics, college admissions, and other curiosities. She also reviews books and conducts interviews.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6bca04c0736bf5eaea80654019de688f?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "LindaFlanagan2",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "mindshift",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Linda Flanagan | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6bca04c0736bf5eaea80654019de688f?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6bca04c0736bf5eaea80654019de688f?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/lindaflan"
},
"mjacksonretondo": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11759",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11759",
"found": true
},
"name": "Marlena Jackson-Retondo",
"firstName": "Marlena",
"lastName": "Jackson-Retondo",
"slug": "mjacksonretondo",
"email": "mjacksonretondo@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Engagement Producer",
"bio": "Marlena Jackson-Retondo is the engagement producer for KQED's \u003cem>Forum \u003c/em>and \u003cem>Mindshift\u003c/em>. Prior to joining the team in 2022, Marlena was an intern with the KQED Digital News Engagement team. She grew up in the Bay Area.\u003cem> \u003c/em>",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94ab429312e9a676559e31d1894130df?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "mindshift",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Marlena Jackson-Retondo | KQED",
"description": "Engagement Producer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94ab429312e9a676559e31d1894130df?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94ab429312e9a676559e31d1894130df?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/mjacksonretondo"
}
},
"breakingNewsReducer": {},
"pagesReducer": {
"root-site_mindshift1": {
"type": "pages",
"id": "root-site_15684",
"meta": {
"index": "pages_1716337520",
"site": "root-site",
"id": "15684",
"score": 0
},
"slug": "mindshift1",
"title": "MindShift",
"headTitle": "MindShift | KQED",
"pagePath": "mindshift1",
"pageMeta": {
"sticky": false,
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"adSlotOverride": "kqed300x250_mindshift",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include"
},
"headData": {
"title": "MindShift | KQED",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of learning in all its dimensions. We examine how learning is being affected by technology, discoveries about the brain, poverty, inequities, mindfulness, agency, social and emotional learning, assessments, game-based learning and music, among many other topics.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialDescription": "MindShift explores the future of learning in all its dimensions. We examine how learning is being affected by technology, discoveries about the brain, poverty, inequities, mindfulness, agency, social and emotional learning, assessments, game-based learning and music, among many other topics.",
"imageData": {
"ogImageSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"width": 1200,
"height": 630
},
"twImageSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
},
"twitterCard": "summary_large_image"
}
},
"labelTerm": {
"site": ""
},
"publishDate": 1581539612,
"content": "\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"534\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-1020x534.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23752\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-1020x534.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-800x419.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-160x84.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-768x402.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MindShift explores the future of learning and how we raise our kids. We report on how teaching is evolving to better meet the needs of students and how caregivers can better guide their children. This means examining the role of technology, discoveries about the brain, racial and gender bias in education, social and emotional learning, inequities, mental health and many other issues that affect students. We report on shifts in how educators teach as they apply innovative ideas to help students learn.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MindShift has a unique audience of educators, parents, policy makers and life-long learners who engage in meaningful dialogue with one another on our social media platforms and email newsletter. Stay informed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/mindshift\">signing up for our email newsletter\u003c/a>, subscribing to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/mindshift\">MindShift Podcast\u003c/a>, or following us on \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/mindshift-kqed.bsky.social\">Bluesky\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mindshiftkqed/\">Instagram\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KQED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/KQED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MindShift is a service of KQED News and was launched in 2010 by KQED and NPR. If you have questions, story pitches or just want to say hi, \u003ca href=\"https://kqed-helpcenter.kqed.org/s/contactsupport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contact us by email\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 23752,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-1020x534.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23752\"/>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-1020x534.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23752\"/>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>MindShift explores the future of learning and how we raise our kids. We report on how teaching is evolving to better meet the needs of students and how caregivers can better guide their children. This means examining the role of technology, discoveries about the brain, racial and gender bias in education, social and emotional learning, inequities, mental health and many other issues that affect students. We report on shifts in how educators teach as they apply innovative ideas to help students learn.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>MindShift explores the future of learning and how we raise our kids. We report on how teaching is evolving to better meet the needs of students and how caregivers can better guide their children. This means examining the role of technology, discoveries about the brain, racial and gender bias in education, social and emotional learning, inequities, mental health and many other issues that affect students. We report on shifts in how educators teach as they apply innovative ideas to help students learn.\u003c/p>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>MindShift has a unique audience of educators, parents, policy makers and life-long learners who engage in meaningful dialogue with one another on our social media platforms and email newsletter. Stay informed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/mindshift\">signing up for our email newsletter\u003c/a>, subscribing to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/mindshift\">MindShift Podcast\u003c/a>, or following us on \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/mindshift-kqed.bsky.social\">Bluesky\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mindshiftkqed/\">Instagram\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KQED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/KQED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>MindShift has a unique audience of educators, parents, policy makers and life-long learners who engage in meaningful dialogue with one another on our social media platforms and email newsletter. Stay informed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/mindshift\">signing up for our email newsletter\u003c/a>, subscribing to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/mindshift\">MindShift Podcast\u003c/a>, or following us on \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/mindshift-kqed.bsky.social\">Bluesky\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mindshiftkqed/\">Instagram\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KQED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/KQED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>MindShift is a service of KQED News and was launched in 2010 by KQED and NPR. If you have questions, story pitches or just want to say hi, \u003ca href=\"https://kqed-helpcenter.kqed.org/s/contactsupport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contact us by email\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>MindShift is a service of KQED News and was launched in 2010 by KQED and NPR. If you have questions, story pitches or just want to say hi, \u003ca href=\"https://kqed-helpcenter.kqed.org/s/contactsupport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contact us by email\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"query": "posts/mindshift?&queryId=5f87eeba8",
"title": "",
"useSSR": true,
"seeMore": true
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/email-signup",
"attrs": {
"newsletterSlug": "msformonly"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/funding-credits",
"attrs": {
"text": "\u003cundefined>Support for MindShift is provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, sponsors and the members of KQED.\u003c/undefined>",
"badge": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
}
],
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1732575263,
"format": "standard",
"path": "/root-site/15684/mindshift1",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"534\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-1020x534.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23752\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-1020x534.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-800x419.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-160x84.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1-768x402.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mindshift2021-tunein-1200x628-1.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MindShift explores the future of learning and how we raise our kids. We report on how teaching is evolving to better meet the needs of students and how caregivers can better guide their children. This means examining the role of technology, discoveries about the brain, racial and gender bias in education, social and emotional learning, inequities, mental health and many other issues that affect students. We report on shifts in how educators teach as they apply innovative ideas to help students learn.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MindShift has a unique audience of educators, parents, policy makers and life-long learners who engage in meaningful dialogue with one another on our social media platforms and email newsletter. Stay informed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/mindshift\">signing up for our email newsletter\u003c/a>, subscribing to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/mindshift\">MindShift Podcast\u003c/a>, or following us on \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/mindshift-kqed.bsky.social\">Bluesky\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mindshiftkqed/\">Instagram\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KQED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/KQED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MindShift is a service of KQED News and was launched in 2010 by KQED and NPR. If you have questions, story pitches or just want to say hi, \u003ca href=\"https://kqed-helpcenter.kqed.org/s/contactsupport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contact us by email\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"label": "root-site",
"isLoading": false
}
},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"mindshift_66177": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66177",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66177",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1773396049000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "how-finnish-education-inspires-u-s-schools-still",
"title": "How Finnish Education Inspires U.S. Schools, Still",
"publishDate": 1773396049,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "How Finnish Education Inspires U.S. Schools, Still | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Oliver, an only child, was born in 2018, and he and his parents don’t live near family. When the pandemic hit, “it was kinda like a perfect storm” during such an important time in early childhood development, said Dan, Oliver’s dad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oliver’s teachers noticed early on in preschool that he was having a hard time engaging with his peers and would keep to himself during group activities, Dan said. His parents initially brushed it off as shyness. “It really surprised us because we don’t see that at home at all,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as his teachers brought up their concerns, Dan and his wife, who weren’t familiar with the special education system, began to learn all about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were prepared to send Oliver to the local public school for kindergarten. But when they found out about Copper Island Academy, they saw an opportunity for Oliver to experience a different type of school, one that reminded Dan of his own school experience, when class sizes were smaller and students connected with their peers and teachers beyond traditional academics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copper Island Academy is where “sisu” — a Finnish word describing an internal level of grit and perseverance — is paramount. It’s a K-8 charter school serving students and their families from the surrounding area of Calumet, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula. Tucked behind an EMS vehicle service center on the only road to and from the town’s one-room airport, you might never know that the school is there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66188\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1562px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-66188 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983.jpg\" alt=\"A poster is displayed on a wall\" width=\"1562\" height=\"1463\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983.jpg 1562w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983-160x150.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983-768x719.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983-1536x1439.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1562px) 100vw, 1562px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A poster creating an acronym of the word “sisu” is on display at Copper Island Academy. \u003ccite>(Marlena Jackson-Retondo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Launched in the fall of 2021, the school was developed by educator duo and married couple Matt and Nora Laho. But this isn’t just their brainchild. It was actualized in collaboration with community members and families searching for an answer to their concerns about public education — like increased screentime, a lack of joy in learning, less challenging lessons and dwindling extracurricular offerings — during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, Matt Laho said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parent community also wanted more skilled trades and culinary arts in the day-to-day curriculum, Laho said. For example, parents noted the slow decline in shop classes offered in public schools, so Copper Island made a concerted effort to bring them back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group considered many education models, Laho said, including Montessori and hybrid models, but ultimately they landed on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55006/the-teachers-role-in-finlands-phenomenon-based-learning\">Finnish education model\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Finnish education model is marked by teacher autonomy and collaboration, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/47909/how-kids-learn-better-by-taking-frequent-breaks-throughout-the-day\">frequent breaks\u003c/a>, inclusive practices and differentiation, according to \u003ca href=\"https://taughtbyfinland.com/\">Tim Walker\u003c/a>, Copper Island Academy’s Finnish education model consultant, who has written several books about \u003ca href=\"https://wwnorton.com/books/Teach-Like-Finland/\">teaching in Finland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers in Finland are highly respected professionals, and it’s difficult to obtain teaching credentials. Teachers are allotted ample time for planning and prep, and they’re expected to leave school at the end of the day alongside their students. In the U.S., teacher shortages are common, morale and teacher pay are low and planning and prep periods are painfully short.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calumet and the surrounding area are home to the highest percentage of people of Finnish heritage outside of Finland itself. But that didn’t mean schools in the area operated like their cross-Atlantic counterparts. For the Lahos, the Finnish model represented what parents and families in the area wanted most out of their children’s education: hands-on classrooms, real-world life skills and a focus on joy.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What’s so great about Finland? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the early 2000s, Finland emerged as an unexpected global leader in education after the first Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores, published in 2001, ranked Finland number one among the 31 other participating countries. The U.S. showed middle-of-the-road academic scores and was ranked in the 15th spot that same year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2001, the Bush administration also reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and rolled out the No Child Left Behind Act in public schools across the country in 2002, so education reform was already top of mind in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the decade following the 2001 PISA scores, Finland continued to rank in the top three participating countries. Within that time, the U.S. was one of many countries that looked to Finland’s balanced approach to learning for guidance on pedagogical practices, which included differentiated learning and early intervention practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But by the 2010s, Finland’s PISA scores began to fall, and the hype died down. And organizations like the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which administers the PISA exams, began to encourage schools to focus more on student well-being beyond academic success, said Walker, an American teacher who taught in Finland for more than 10 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the draw to a Finnish model still remains today in education circles, and for Copper Island Academy, it landed close to home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for parents like Dan, Copper Island had the added benefit of an inclusive special education program. He said enrolling Oliver at Copper Island Academy “was the best decision we possibly could have made.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Special education, the Finnish way\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Oliver has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), a highly detailed, legally binding document, requiring an official diagnosis. The family asked we not use their last name because of privacy concerns for their child. IEPs adjust the curriculum for an individual student in order to meet their goals. Part of Oliver’s education plan includes push-ins during general education classroom time with Jennifer Gervais, one of Copper Island Academy’s special education teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Push-ins are a form of support that keeps students in the classroom alongside their peers rather than in a siloed special education classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a push-in on one of his more difficult mornings, Gervais sits next to Oliver and quietly prompts him to participate. The other students are used to her presence in their classroom and aren’t phased. Oliver’s responses are very quiet, but he does take part in a phonics lesson led by his teacher, Ms. Erva. And if you listen very carefully, you can hear his peers encouraging him with a “good job, Oliver,” after his turn to play the phonics game is over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66186\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66186\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_JenGervais_headshot-e1773379859400.png\" alt=\"Woman in front of window\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Copper Island Academy teacher Jennifer Gervais. \u003ccite>(Marlena Jackson-Retondo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Although Oliver’s experience at Copper Island Academy has been positive, many students struggle to get the services they need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg/students-with-disabilities#:~:text=In%202022%E2%80%9323%2C%20the%20number,of%20all%20public%20school%20students.\">7.5 million students\u003c/a> receiving special education services in the U.S. — the majority of whom are diagnosed with \u003ca href=\"https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/specific-learning-disorder/what-is-specific-learning-disorder\">specific learning disorders\u003c/a> like dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia. Even for those students who are identified as needing to receive special education services early on, the path to receiving these supports is hard to navigate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most often in the U.S., students must exhaust Tier 1 and Tier 2 support services, which consist of specialized, small group instruction from a general education teacher, specialists or paraeducators, before receiving an IEP — a Tier 3 special education service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the special education system in Finland is marked by teacher and family collaboration, personalized learning and trust in teacher expertise; special education intervention in Finland is seen as a preventative and inclusive practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody’s getting support,” said Helmi Betancourt, an elementary special education teacher in Helsinki, Finland. Like many special education teachers in Finland, Betancourt is assigned to many different classrooms. Throughout the week, she spends a couple of hours in each of her assigned classrooms teaching alongside the general education teacher. If there is an individual student or smaller group of students who need extra help outside of their general education classroom, Betancourt has the flexibility to pull them into a separate learning environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decision to support a student with special education resources is seen as a pedagogical one, and is accessible for any student in the classroom who is struggling with academic or behavioral issues, according to Betancourt and her colleague in special education, Anna-Mari Vuohelainen. Teachers are free to make these decisions without the explicit consent of parents and without waiting for a diagnosis for additional support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s based on the benefit of the child,” not on a diagnosis, Betancourt said. They use a classroom-based support system to be more inclusive of special education students in their general education classrooms, and to make sure that other students who are not yet receiving support, but might need it, get it as early as possible. This also makes for less paperwork.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea is that nobody has to wait for the support that they need,” said Betancourt, because sometimes, getting a diagnosis takes a long time and it’s unfair to a student if they can’t get support for years. And the students identified as having the most intensive needs receive them in a setting that makes the most sense for their needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there isn’t necessarily a one-to-one application of the Finnish education model to the U.S. special education system.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Early intervention and measuring student growth\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Early intervention is one of the hallmarks of the Finnish education model, and is one that Copper Island has emulated. According to Laho, early intervention allows Copper Island to tackle problems as they emerge and before a formal special education referral needs to be placed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In order to identify student needs, teachers across departments regularly meet to hold student success meetings. These meetings occur outside of traditional IEP or special education meeting requirements, and all students are considered. This is where they identify students who are struggling, collaborate on how to help the student and regularly check in. Student success meetings often happen before parent involvement, and if the plan to remediate doesn’t work, then they might have to call a parent in to work out a more robust support plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Special education teachers attend student success meetings, but not necessarily to provide special education services. They’re there because of their expertise in Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention. It’s a seemingly small distinction to make, but a rather important one that advances a culture of trust and respect in educators who are highly regarded for their pedagogical expertise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The success of these meetings is measured in individual student growth, not achievement. The teachers and admin focus on answering questions like: Where did this student start the year? Where are they mid-year, and where did they end the year? And according to Laho, student growth is the most useful measurement that Copper Island tracks, and they do so without compromising measurable achievement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students at Copper Island Academy score very high on traditional indicators of student achievement. Most notably, they received a score of 99.03 in the 2024-25 Michigan School Index — a state-run public school accountability system that evaluates overall school achievement on a scale of 0-100 — placing the school in the top 3.5% of all Michigan public schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Inclusion first for special education students \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The school’s unwavering stance on inclusion of all students in general education classrooms was a big deal for Gervais.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other schools throughout her experience in special education, which spans more than a decade, Gervais has had to fight to get special education students included in the general education classroom, she said. Self-contained special education support is not an uncommon practice in public schools across the U.S., in which students receiving differing levels of special education support are kept from their general education peers for much of the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although some level of inclusion in general education classrooms is a North Star for special education in the U.S. public school system, it isn’t always possible or recommended for every student. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act does not have a number or percentage of general education classroom time that each student with an IEP is required to meet. Rather, inclusion is measured by Least Restrictive Environment practices. But across special education, the measurable benchmark for “good” general education classroom integration time per student hovers around \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=59\">80%\u003c/a>, although classroom time alone doesn’t automatically lead to improved outcomes, said Chris Lemons, a professor who specializes in learning disabilities at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Special education teaching presents its own unique challenges, but according to Jeremy Jarvi, who has taught in self-contained, mild-to-moderate and moderate-to-severe special education classrooms in the Bay Area, the prominent issues that come to mind are systemic and bureaucratic in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t force it,” said Jarvi, of inclusion in all cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For parents like \u003ca href=\"http://www.danielwillingham.com/\">Daniel Willingham\u003c/a> and his wife, navigating the special education system for their daughter, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-willingham-how-to-interact-with-a-disabled-child-20180322-story.html\">Esprit\u003c/a>, over a decade ago was challenging and frustrating. Willingham is an education expert, and his wife is a teacher, but even then, it took a lot of time and expertise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To be clear, my child was profoundly disabled and so education for her looked quite different,” Willingham said. “It’s not like she was having trouble reading … she couldn’t speak.” So education for Esprit looked like setting up systems for her to be able to communicate “yes” and “no,” and inclusion in a general education classroom wasn’t possible or the best option for her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Esprit’s medical conditions required in-home care and schooling, Willingham and his family experienced many of the common failures and triumphs of the U.S. special education system. They dealt with the frustration that comes with “tangling with bureaucracy,” but also benefited from interactions with educators and therapists who were “working very, very hard under very difficult circumstances trying to help children,” Willingham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We frequently marveled that anyone was able to navigate through this system,” especially families without a stay-at-home parent, Willingham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Paraeducators and classroom staffing\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Classroom staffing can be an issue, according to Jarvi, and at previous schools he found himself spending a lot of time each week training paraeducators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On top of working with the kids, I’m training adults … you hope that they get it the first time,” but they don’t always, and this takes time away from individualized instruction, Jarvi said of his past experiences. He now works with experienced paraeducators who have made a big difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paraeducators are recognized by many states as essential to the K-12 classroom. And for some, like Lemons, the Stanford professor, the idea of paraeducators in the classroom is promising. This is not only because there are more paraeducators than special education teachers in the public school system, but also because they are with students throughout the entire school day, including in special education and general education classrooms, Lemons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the U.S. paraeducators only need a high school diploma, and “in many districts, [paraeducators] receive the least amount of training, the least amount of support; they’re paid the least, but in many ways, they’re kind of the cog in the system that makes everything work, especially for kids with more extensive support needs,” Lemons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, Copper Island has had a positive experience with their paraeducators because of their willingness to go through the extra training and credentialing that the school requires outside of Michigan’s academic standards, according to Laho. The school’s paraeducators are trained on Orton-Gillingham or Morphology, which are touted for their detailed and unique approach to literacy education, especially for students who struggle. Laho said having paraeducators trained in these two methods allows for flexibility “to use multiple different people to attack a problem.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Trust in special education teachers\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Finland, conversations between special education teachers and general education teachers happen on a regular basis, and pedagogical approaches to addressing all student learning are shared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Walker, the special education teacher who assisted in his Finnish classroom was seen as an “instructional coach who’s not at a higher level than the general ed teacher, but is still this trusted colleague … who has specialized knowledge in assisting kids who need more support in the classroom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A second set of discerning eyes can go a long way. Knowing that he wasn’t alone in providing attentive and individualized instruction for students with IEPs or those who needed a little bit of extra help with a specific subject matter was a relief to Walker. This practice of part-time, in-classroom special education instruction also allowed for Walker to exercise intellectual humility. He acknowledged that the special education teacher’s presence in his classroom two times per week exposed growth areas to better meet student needs, a ritual that he welcomed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For a lot of teachers out there, especially in the United States — when they don’t have this type of [inclusive] model — it’s very easy for you to feel alone in your classroom,” Walker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These types of experiences have roots in teacher training programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the U.S., “typically, teachers who are trained to be general education teachers receive way too little training related to supporting kids with disabilities,” said Lemons, pointing out that some graduate schools of education, like Stanford’s, offer only one course focused on students with disabilities to elementary teacher candidates. On top of that, he said there’s almost zero training on how general education teachers can build effective working relationships with special education teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even at Copper Island, where teachers are trained in differentiation, general education teachers have had some trepidation about approaching differentiated learning practices. But experts like Gervais are available and willing to work with general education teachers to adjust their lessons so that everyone can learn with their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I told every one of them, ‘I will gladly show you because in special ed you learn to differentiate anything that’s thrown at you,’” Gervais said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And offering to help general education teachers with differentiating their work also benefits other students outside of special education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t just teach to that middle student. It helps everybody,” Gervais said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Brain breaks for everyone, outside\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Like schools in Finland, Copper Island prioritizes outdoor time for all students, which happens at a greater frequency than a typical U.S. school. This was one of the major draws for Dan and his family, and regular outdoor time during the school day has helped Oliver come out of his shell, connect with friends and focus in the classroom, Dan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But time outside at this school doesn’t just happen during recess and lunch; it happens every 45 minutes for 15 minutes at a time. This is Copper Island’s version of “brain breaks” — a tried and true method of allowing for, typically, classroom time spent away from academic subjects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brain breaks are used in both American and Finnish schools, but the way that Copper Island does brain breaks is different from most U.S. schools. Typically, brain breaks in American classrooms are occasional, very short, in-class and not necessarily physical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brain breaks at Copper Island are always spent outside — rain or shine or snow — and they happen seamlessly at all grade levels. When the brain break begins, students walk quietly through the hallways and out into the schoolyard. Once the break is over, a whistle is blown, and the students quickly and quietly pile through the school’s back doors, returning to their classrooms with minimal prompting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Usually, moments of transition like these are a stress point for teachers, who are tasked with managing energetic or even disengaged students itching to get away from the lesson plan, and then coaxing them back into the lesson plan. It might even be unfathomable to some teachers across the U.S. to get all students outside for a brain break and then settled and back into the classroom, all within 15 minutes, multiple times per day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there wasn’t any yelling or running down hallways to get to a brain break at Copper Island when I visited. And when asked, teachers repeatedly brushed off any potential stress or anxiety around transitions in and out of brain breaks. It turns out these breaks aren’t just good for students, they’re good for the teachers too, who spend most of their classroom time executing highly engaged and individualized lesson plans for all of their students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edvF_AJXU5I&t=222s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s only one rule during brain breaks at Copper Island Academy — sports balls aren’t allowed. “The minute that you give a sports ball to somebody, you put rules and limitations on [their play],” Laho said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, kids in elementary school are encouraged to play with each other and throughout the various outdoor spaces, like their play structure, the perimeter of surrounding woods, in the garden or on the structure made of industrial-sized rubber tires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sports balls are reintroduced during brain breaks for middle schoolers, who Laho said might need additional motivation to move their bodies and spend time outdoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Can Copper Island be replicated? It depends\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Calumet and the surrounding Houghton County area are a pocket of the U.S. that has preserved old town Americana charm, for better or for worse. Some people don’t lock their front doors, and they leave their keys in their cars when they are away, just in case someone needs to borrow them. The people are kind and welcoming, and very quick to recommend their claim to fame: the meat pasty. And Copper Island Academy reflects these unique traits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The families in the community had worried that the Finnish model in a location with such an overwhelmingly large population of people with Finnish heritage would be seen as exclusionary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Laho, the diversity at Copper Island Academy reflects that of the surrounding area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So far we haven’t seen any discrepancies between, you know, one demographic or another,” Laho said about student academic achievement and behavioral data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school has also made a significant effort to support teachers beyond their professional development days with Walker and more than what you might find in an average American public school classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something fundamental took place during the pandemic, Walker said. In the scramble to overhaul in-person learning to virtual learning, along with the pressure to mitigate learning loss, teachers started to publicly acknowledge their dismal working conditions, Walker said. And American society took notice, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was something about COVID that broke many educators,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But paying attention to teacher well-being in a holistic manner at Copper Island has paid off. The school’s baby pilot program allows new mothers, who are only allotted 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave by federal standards, to ease their way back into teaching full time again after having a baby. On certain days, babies are allowed in the classroom, and teachers meet their hours without having to choose continuous, outsourced child care for their infants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The teachers also created a support group they call “Tsemppiä,” a Finnish word that doesn’t have a direct translation, but one that Walker compared to terms like “godspeed” or “strength” and is used in Finland as a word of encouragement. And the Tsemppiä group at Copper Island does just that — it exists as a support group made by and for teachers experiencing difficulties in their personal lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Tsemppiä was established before Walker came on as an educational consultant, he quickly recognized its purpose from his days teaching in Finland. The U.S. has a habit of creating and encouraging “super teachers,” Walker said — individuals who exceed, above and beyond, which harbors competition to be “the best.” In his experience, “super teachers” don’t really exist in Finland, Walker said, and instead there’s more of a spirit of teamwork and collaboration between teachers. The adoption of this part of Finnish culture is a big part of why Copper Island has been able to be so successful, Walker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, the administrators don’t seem to hover at Copper Island; rather, as Laho said, they trust their teachers to get their work done. If lesson planning needs to happen at home, then that works for the school administrators. If teachers need to leave the building with the students at 3:20 p.m. when the school day is over, that also works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copper Island Academy experiences the everyday limitations that many American schools and educators face. “I wish we could pay our teachers what they’re worth financially,” said Laho, adding that the school does “find ways to leverage what [they do] have to help” their teachers in other ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to try to find ways to support the teachers in what they’re doing, knowing that we’re asking them to do a lot within our model,” Laho said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66185\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1262px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66185\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184.png\" alt=\"Man smiling for portrait\" width=\"1262\" height=\"1618\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184.png 1262w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184-160x205.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184-768x985.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184-1198x1536.png 1198w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1262px) 100vw, 1262px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Copper Island Academy co-founder Matt Laho. \u003ccite>(Marlena Jackson-Retondo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for students, the school has put into place measures to encourage their belonging in the community. Students are grouped intentionally in classrooms, which gives them the opportunity to work and play with the peers that they may not organically gravitate toward, Laho said. This practice of belonging and empathy extends throughout the school culture, both in the classroom, outdoors and in the community, Laho said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And when Dan is out in the neighborhood with his son, or at a local hockey game, all of the hard work that Oliver and his teachers have done to face challenging social situations has paid off. Now, when Oliver sees someone familiar outside of school, “[he] always points out, ‘Hey, there’s my friend from school’ or ‘there’s my teacher,’” Dan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He described enrolling Oliver in Copper Island as one of the best decisions he’s recently made and is glad he did it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that connection between the students and the students and their and their teachers is really great,” he said. “Really, really great.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The Finnish education model shot to global prominence in 2001, but has since fallen. But the lessons of Finland still resonate with educators and parents, so much so that some U.S. schools are modeled with Finnish best practices. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1773380894,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 86,
"wordCount": 4505
},
"headData": {
"title": "How Finnish Education Inspires U.S. Schools, Still | KQED",
"description": "The Finnish education model shot to global prominence in 2001, but has since fallen. But the lessons of Finland still resonate with educators and parents, so much so that some U.S. schools are modeled with Finnish best practices. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How Finnish Education Inspires U.S. Schools, Still",
"datePublished": "2026-03-13T03:00:49-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-12T22:48:14-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 21512,
"slug": "belonging",
"name": "Belonging"
},
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66177/how-finnish-education-inspires-u-s-schools-still",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Oliver, an only child, was born in 2018, and he and his parents don’t live near family. When the pandemic hit, “it was kinda like a perfect storm” during such an important time in early childhood development, said Dan, Oliver’s dad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oliver’s teachers noticed early on in preschool that he was having a hard time engaging with his peers and would keep to himself during group activities, Dan said. His parents initially brushed it off as shyness. “It really surprised us because we don’t see that at home at all,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as his teachers brought up their concerns, Dan and his wife, who weren’t familiar with the special education system, began to learn all about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were prepared to send Oliver to the local public school for kindergarten. But when they found out about Copper Island Academy, they saw an opportunity for Oliver to experience a different type of school, one that reminded Dan of his own school experience, when class sizes were smaller and students connected with their peers and teachers beyond traditional academics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copper Island Academy is where “sisu” — a Finnish word describing an internal level of grit and perseverance — is paramount. It’s a K-8 charter school serving students and their families from the surrounding area of Calumet, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula. Tucked behind an EMS vehicle service center on the only road to and from the town’s one-room airport, you might never know that the school is there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66188\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1562px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-66188 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983.jpg\" alt=\"A poster is displayed on a wall\" width=\"1562\" height=\"1463\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983.jpg 1562w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983-160x150.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983-768x719.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_SISUacronymposter-1-scaled-e1773380265983-1536x1439.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1562px) 100vw, 1562px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A poster creating an acronym of the word “sisu” is on display at Copper Island Academy. \u003ccite>(Marlena Jackson-Retondo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Launched in the fall of 2021, the school was developed by educator duo and married couple Matt and Nora Laho. But this isn’t just their brainchild. It was actualized in collaboration with community members and families searching for an answer to their concerns about public education — like increased screentime, a lack of joy in learning, less challenging lessons and dwindling extracurricular offerings — during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, Matt Laho said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parent community also wanted more skilled trades and culinary arts in the day-to-day curriculum, Laho said. For example, parents noted the slow decline in shop classes offered in public schools, so Copper Island made a concerted effort to bring them back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group considered many education models, Laho said, including Montessori and hybrid models, but ultimately they landed on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55006/the-teachers-role-in-finlands-phenomenon-based-learning\">Finnish education model\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Finnish education model is marked by teacher autonomy and collaboration, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/47909/how-kids-learn-better-by-taking-frequent-breaks-throughout-the-day\">frequent breaks\u003c/a>, inclusive practices and differentiation, according to \u003ca href=\"https://taughtbyfinland.com/\">Tim Walker\u003c/a>, Copper Island Academy’s Finnish education model consultant, who has written several books about \u003ca href=\"https://wwnorton.com/books/Teach-Like-Finland/\">teaching in Finland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers in Finland are highly respected professionals, and it’s difficult to obtain teaching credentials. Teachers are allotted ample time for planning and prep, and they’re expected to leave school at the end of the day alongside their students. In the U.S., teacher shortages are common, morale and teacher pay are low and planning and prep periods are painfully short.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calumet and the surrounding area are home to the highest percentage of people of Finnish heritage outside of Finland itself. But that didn’t mean schools in the area operated like their cross-Atlantic counterparts. For the Lahos, the Finnish model represented what parents and families in the area wanted most out of their children’s education: hands-on classrooms, real-world life skills and a focus on joy.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What’s so great about Finland? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the early 2000s, Finland emerged as an unexpected global leader in education after the first Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores, published in 2001, ranked Finland number one among the 31 other participating countries. The U.S. showed middle-of-the-road academic scores and was ranked in the 15th spot that same year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2001, the Bush administration also reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and rolled out the No Child Left Behind Act in public schools across the country in 2002, so education reform was already top of mind in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the decade following the 2001 PISA scores, Finland continued to rank in the top three participating countries. Within that time, the U.S. was one of many countries that looked to Finland’s balanced approach to learning for guidance on pedagogical practices, which included differentiated learning and early intervention practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But by the 2010s, Finland’s PISA scores began to fall, and the hype died down. And organizations like the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which administers the PISA exams, began to encourage schools to focus more on student well-being beyond academic success, said Walker, an American teacher who taught in Finland for more than 10 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the draw to a Finnish model still remains today in education circles, and for Copper Island Academy, it landed close to home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for parents like Dan, Copper Island had the added benefit of an inclusive special education program. He said enrolling Oliver at Copper Island Academy “was the best decision we possibly could have made.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Special education, the Finnish way\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Oliver has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), a highly detailed, legally binding document, requiring an official diagnosis. The family asked we not use their last name because of privacy concerns for their child. IEPs adjust the curriculum for an individual student in order to meet their goals. Part of Oliver’s education plan includes push-ins during general education classroom time with Jennifer Gervais, one of Copper Island Academy’s special education teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Push-ins are a form of support that keeps students in the classroom alongside their peers rather than in a siloed special education classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a push-in on one of his more difficult mornings, Gervais sits next to Oliver and quietly prompts him to participate. The other students are used to her presence in their classroom and aren’t phased. Oliver’s responses are very quiet, but he does take part in a phonics lesson led by his teacher, Ms. Erva. And if you listen very carefully, you can hear his peers encouraging him with a “good job, Oliver,” after his turn to play the phonics game is over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66186\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66186\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_JenGervais_headshot-e1773379859400.png\" alt=\"Woman in front of window\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Copper Island Academy teacher Jennifer Gervais. \u003ccite>(Marlena Jackson-Retondo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Although Oliver’s experience at Copper Island Academy has been positive, many students struggle to get the services they need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg/students-with-disabilities#:~:text=In%202022%E2%80%9323%2C%20the%20number,of%20all%20public%20school%20students.\">7.5 million students\u003c/a> receiving special education services in the U.S. — the majority of whom are diagnosed with \u003ca href=\"https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/specific-learning-disorder/what-is-specific-learning-disorder\">specific learning disorders\u003c/a> like dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia. Even for those students who are identified as needing to receive special education services early on, the path to receiving these supports is hard to navigate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most often in the U.S., students must exhaust Tier 1 and Tier 2 support services, which consist of specialized, small group instruction from a general education teacher, specialists or paraeducators, before receiving an IEP — a Tier 3 special education service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the special education system in Finland is marked by teacher and family collaboration, personalized learning and trust in teacher expertise; special education intervention in Finland is seen as a preventative and inclusive practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody’s getting support,” said Helmi Betancourt, an elementary special education teacher in Helsinki, Finland. Like many special education teachers in Finland, Betancourt is assigned to many different classrooms. Throughout the week, she spends a couple of hours in each of her assigned classrooms teaching alongside the general education teacher. If there is an individual student or smaller group of students who need extra help outside of their general education classroom, Betancourt has the flexibility to pull them into a separate learning environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decision to support a student with special education resources is seen as a pedagogical one, and is accessible for any student in the classroom who is struggling with academic or behavioral issues, according to Betancourt and her colleague in special education, Anna-Mari Vuohelainen. Teachers are free to make these decisions without the explicit consent of parents and without waiting for a diagnosis for additional support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s based on the benefit of the child,” not on a diagnosis, Betancourt said. They use a classroom-based support system to be more inclusive of special education students in their general education classrooms, and to make sure that other students who are not yet receiving support, but might need it, get it as early as possible. This also makes for less paperwork.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea is that nobody has to wait for the support that they need,” said Betancourt, because sometimes, getting a diagnosis takes a long time and it’s unfair to a student if they can’t get support for years. And the students identified as having the most intensive needs receive them in a setting that makes the most sense for their needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there isn’t necessarily a one-to-one application of the Finnish education model to the U.S. special education system.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Early intervention and measuring student growth\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Early intervention is one of the hallmarks of the Finnish education model, and is one that Copper Island has emulated. According to Laho, early intervention allows Copper Island to tackle problems as they emerge and before a formal special education referral needs to be placed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In order to identify student needs, teachers across departments regularly meet to hold student success meetings. These meetings occur outside of traditional IEP or special education meeting requirements, and all students are considered. This is where they identify students who are struggling, collaborate on how to help the student and regularly check in. Student success meetings often happen before parent involvement, and if the plan to remediate doesn’t work, then they might have to call a parent in to work out a more robust support plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Special education teachers attend student success meetings, but not necessarily to provide special education services. They’re there because of their expertise in Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention. It’s a seemingly small distinction to make, but a rather important one that advances a culture of trust and respect in educators who are highly regarded for their pedagogical expertise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The success of these meetings is measured in individual student growth, not achievement. The teachers and admin focus on answering questions like: Where did this student start the year? Where are they mid-year, and where did they end the year? And according to Laho, student growth is the most useful measurement that Copper Island tracks, and they do so without compromising measurable achievement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students at Copper Island Academy score very high on traditional indicators of student achievement. Most notably, they received a score of 99.03 in the 2024-25 Michigan School Index — a state-run public school accountability system that evaluates overall school achievement on a scale of 0-100 — placing the school in the top 3.5% of all Michigan public schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Inclusion first for special education students \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The school’s unwavering stance on inclusion of all students in general education classrooms was a big deal for Gervais.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other schools throughout her experience in special education, which spans more than a decade, Gervais has had to fight to get special education students included in the general education classroom, she said. Self-contained special education support is not an uncommon practice in public schools across the U.S., in which students receiving differing levels of special education support are kept from their general education peers for much of the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although some level of inclusion in general education classrooms is a North Star for special education in the U.S. public school system, it isn’t always possible or recommended for every student. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act does not have a number or percentage of general education classroom time that each student with an IEP is required to meet. Rather, inclusion is measured by Least Restrictive Environment practices. But across special education, the measurable benchmark for “good” general education classroom integration time per student hovers around \u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=59\">80%\u003c/a>, although classroom time alone doesn’t automatically lead to improved outcomes, said Chris Lemons, a professor who specializes in learning disabilities at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Special education teaching presents its own unique challenges, but according to Jeremy Jarvi, who has taught in self-contained, mild-to-moderate and moderate-to-severe special education classrooms in the Bay Area, the prominent issues that come to mind are systemic and bureaucratic in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t force it,” said Jarvi, of inclusion in all cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For parents like \u003ca href=\"http://www.danielwillingham.com/\">Daniel Willingham\u003c/a> and his wife, navigating the special education system for their daughter, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-willingham-how-to-interact-with-a-disabled-child-20180322-story.html\">Esprit\u003c/a>, over a decade ago was challenging and frustrating. Willingham is an education expert, and his wife is a teacher, but even then, it took a lot of time and expertise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To be clear, my child was profoundly disabled and so education for her looked quite different,” Willingham said. “It’s not like she was having trouble reading … she couldn’t speak.” So education for Esprit looked like setting up systems for her to be able to communicate “yes” and “no,” and inclusion in a general education classroom wasn’t possible or the best option for her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Esprit’s medical conditions required in-home care and schooling, Willingham and his family experienced many of the common failures and triumphs of the U.S. special education system. They dealt with the frustration that comes with “tangling with bureaucracy,” but also benefited from interactions with educators and therapists who were “working very, very hard under very difficult circumstances trying to help children,” Willingham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We frequently marveled that anyone was able to navigate through this system,” especially families without a stay-at-home parent, Willingham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Paraeducators and classroom staffing\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Classroom staffing can be an issue, according to Jarvi, and at previous schools he found himself spending a lot of time each week training paraeducators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On top of working with the kids, I’m training adults … you hope that they get it the first time,” but they don’t always, and this takes time away from individualized instruction, Jarvi said of his past experiences. He now works with experienced paraeducators who have made a big difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paraeducators are recognized by many states as essential to the K-12 classroom. And for some, like Lemons, the Stanford professor, the idea of paraeducators in the classroom is promising. This is not only because there are more paraeducators than special education teachers in the public school system, but also because they are with students throughout the entire school day, including in special education and general education classrooms, Lemons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the U.S. paraeducators only need a high school diploma, and “in many districts, [paraeducators] receive the least amount of training, the least amount of support; they’re paid the least, but in many ways, they’re kind of the cog in the system that makes everything work, especially for kids with more extensive support needs,” Lemons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, Copper Island has had a positive experience with their paraeducators because of their willingness to go through the extra training and credentialing that the school requires outside of Michigan’s academic standards, according to Laho. The school’s paraeducators are trained on Orton-Gillingham or Morphology, which are touted for their detailed and unique approach to literacy education, especially for students who struggle. Laho said having paraeducators trained in these two methods allows for flexibility “to use multiple different people to attack a problem.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Trust in special education teachers\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Finland, conversations between special education teachers and general education teachers happen on a regular basis, and pedagogical approaches to addressing all student learning are shared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Walker, the special education teacher who assisted in his Finnish classroom was seen as an “instructional coach who’s not at a higher level than the general ed teacher, but is still this trusted colleague … who has specialized knowledge in assisting kids who need more support in the classroom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A second set of discerning eyes can go a long way. Knowing that he wasn’t alone in providing attentive and individualized instruction for students with IEPs or those who needed a little bit of extra help with a specific subject matter was a relief to Walker. This practice of part-time, in-classroom special education instruction also allowed for Walker to exercise intellectual humility. He acknowledged that the special education teacher’s presence in his classroom two times per week exposed growth areas to better meet student needs, a ritual that he welcomed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For a lot of teachers out there, especially in the United States — when they don’t have this type of [inclusive] model — it’s very easy for you to feel alone in your classroom,” Walker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These types of experiences have roots in teacher training programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the U.S., “typically, teachers who are trained to be general education teachers receive way too little training related to supporting kids with disabilities,” said Lemons, pointing out that some graduate schools of education, like Stanford’s, offer only one course focused on students with disabilities to elementary teacher candidates. On top of that, he said there’s almost zero training on how general education teachers can build effective working relationships with special education teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even at Copper Island, where teachers are trained in differentiation, general education teachers have had some trepidation about approaching differentiated learning practices. But experts like Gervais are available and willing to work with general education teachers to adjust their lessons so that everyone can learn with their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I told every one of them, ‘I will gladly show you because in special ed you learn to differentiate anything that’s thrown at you,’” Gervais said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And offering to help general education teachers with differentiating their work also benefits other students outside of special education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t just teach to that middle student. It helps everybody,” Gervais said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Brain breaks for everyone, outside\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Like schools in Finland, Copper Island prioritizes outdoor time for all students, which happens at a greater frequency than a typical U.S. school. This was one of the major draws for Dan and his family, and regular outdoor time during the school day has helped Oliver come out of his shell, connect with friends and focus in the classroom, Dan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But time outside at this school doesn’t just happen during recess and lunch; it happens every 45 minutes for 15 minutes at a time. This is Copper Island’s version of “brain breaks” — a tried and true method of allowing for, typically, classroom time spent away from academic subjects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brain breaks are used in both American and Finnish schools, but the way that Copper Island does brain breaks is different from most U.S. schools. Typically, brain breaks in American classrooms are occasional, very short, in-class and not necessarily physical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brain breaks at Copper Island are always spent outside — rain or shine or snow — and they happen seamlessly at all grade levels. When the brain break begins, students walk quietly through the hallways and out into the schoolyard. Once the break is over, a whistle is blown, and the students quickly and quietly pile through the school’s back doors, returning to their classrooms with minimal prompting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Usually, moments of transition like these are a stress point for teachers, who are tasked with managing energetic or even disengaged students itching to get away from the lesson plan, and then coaxing them back into the lesson plan. It might even be unfathomable to some teachers across the U.S. to get all students outside for a brain break and then settled and back into the classroom, all within 15 minutes, multiple times per day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there wasn’t any yelling or running down hallways to get to a brain break at Copper Island when I visited. And when asked, teachers repeatedly brushed off any potential stress or anxiety around transitions in and out of brain breaks. It turns out these breaks aren’t just good for students, they’re good for the teachers too, who spend most of their classroom time executing highly engaged and individualized lesson plans for all of their students.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/edvF_AJXU5I'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/edvF_AJXU5I'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>There’s only one rule during brain breaks at Copper Island Academy — sports balls aren’t allowed. “The minute that you give a sports ball to somebody, you put rules and limitations on [their play],” Laho said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, kids in elementary school are encouraged to play with each other and throughout the various outdoor spaces, like their play structure, the perimeter of surrounding woods, in the garden or on the structure made of industrial-sized rubber tires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sports balls are reintroduced during brain breaks for middle schoolers, who Laho said might need additional motivation to move their bodies and spend time outdoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Can Copper Island be replicated? It depends\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Calumet and the surrounding Houghton County area are a pocket of the U.S. that has preserved old town Americana charm, for better or for worse. Some people don’t lock their front doors, and they leave their keys in their cars when they are away, just in case someone needs to borrow them. The people are kind and welcoming, and very quick to recommend their claim to fame: the meat pasty. And Copper Island Academy reflects these unique traits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The families in the community had worried that the Finnish model in a location with such an overwhelmingly large population of people with Finnish heritage would be seen as exclusionary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Laho, the diversity at Copper Island Academy reflects that of the surrounding area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So far we haven’t seen any discrepancies between, you know, one demographic or another,” Laho said about student academic achievement and behavioral data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school has also made a significant effort to support teachers beyond their professional development days with Walker and more than what you might find in an average American public school classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something fundamental took place during the pandemic, Walker said. In the scramble to overhaul in-person learning to virtual learning, along with the pressure to mitigate learning loss, teachers started to publicly acknowledge their dismal working conditions, Walker said. And American society took notice, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was something about COVID that broke many educators,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But paying attention to teacher well-being in a holistic manner at Copper Island has paid off. The school’s baby pilot program allows new mothers, who are only allotted 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave by federal standards, to ease their way back into teaching full time again after having a baby. On certain days, babies are allowed in the classroom, and teachers meet their hours without having to choose continuous, outsourced child care for their infants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The teachers also created a support group they call “Tsemppiä,” a Finnish word that doesn’t have a direct translation, but one that Walker compared to terms like “godspeed” or “strength” and is used in Finland as a word of encouragement. And the Tsemppiä group at Copper Island does just that — it exists as a support group made by and for teachers experiencing difficulties in their personal lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Tsemppiä was established before Walker came on as an educational consultant, he quickly recognized its purpose from his days teaching in Finland. The U.S. has a habit of creating and encouraging “super teachers,” Walker said — individuals who exceed, above and beyond, which harbors competition to be “the best.” In his experience, “super teachers” don’t really exist in Finland, Walker said, and instead there’s more of a spirit of teamwork and collaboration between teachers. The adoption of this part of Finnish culture is a big part of why Copper Island has been able to be so successful, Walker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, the administrators don’t seem to hover at Copper Island; rather, as Laho said, they trust their teachers to get their work done. If lesson planning needs to happen at home, then that works for the school administrators. If teachers need to leave the building with the students at 3:20 p.m. when the school day is over, that also works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Copper Island Academy experiences the everyday limitations that many American schools and educators face. “I wish we could pay our teachers what they’re worth financially,” said Laho, adding that the school does “find ways to leverage what [they do] have to help” their teachers in other ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to try to find ways to support the teachers in what they’re doing, knowing that we’re asking them to do a lot within our model,” Laho said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66185\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1262px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66185\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184.png\" alt=\"Man smiling for portrait\" width=\"1262\" height=\"1618\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184.png 1262w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184-160x205.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184-768x985.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/MS_CIA_MattLaho_headshot2-e1773379757184-1198x1536.png 1198w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1262px) 100vw, 1262px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Copper Island Academy co-founder Matt Laho. \u003ccite>(Marlena Jackson-Retondo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for students, the school has put into place measures to encourage their belonging in the community. Students are grouped intentionally in classrooms, which gives them the opportunity to work and play with the peers that they may not organically gravitate toward, Laho said. This practice of belonging and empathy extends throughout the school culture, both in the classroom, outdoors and in the community, Laho said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And when Dan is out in the neighborhood with his son, or at a local hockey game, all of the hard work that Oliver and his teachers have done to face challenging social situations has paid off. Now, when Oliver sees someone familiar outside of school, “[he] always points out, ‘Hey, there’s my friend from school’ or ‘there’s my teacher,’” Dan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He described enrolling Oliver in Copper Island as one of the best decisions he’s recently made and is glad he did it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that connection between the students and the students and their and their teachers is really great,” he said. “Really, really great.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66177/how-finnish-education-inspires-u-s-schools-still",
"authors": [
"11759"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_21512"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_799",
"mindshift_20868",
"mindshift_20934"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66183",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
},
"mindshift_66190": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66190",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66190",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1773251297000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "key-oversight-helping-keep-student-loan-records-accurate-has-stopped-watchdog-says",
"title": "Key Oversight Helping Keep Student Loan Records Accurate Has stopped, Watchdog Says",
"publishDate": 1773251297,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Key Oversight Helping Keep Student Loan Records Accurate Has stopped, Watchdog Says | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Just over a year ago, the U.S. Department of Education abandoned key oversight of the companies that run the federal student loan program, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108534\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new report\u003c/a> from the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>GAO investigators found that, in February 2025, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) stopped reviewing the accuracy of loan servicers’ records. FSA also stopped reviewing recordings of calls with borrowers to make sure they’re being given accurate information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without this oversight, the report warns, borrowers could feel the consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If servicers’ records are inaccurate, borrowers could, for instance, be placed in the wrong loan repayment status, billed for incorrect amounts, or not have a refund processed in time,” the report says. “Similarly, FSA has not monitored calls since February 2025, so there is a risk that borrowers have received or will receive incorrect information and poor customer service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The investigation was requested by the ranking members of the House and Senate education committees, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of providing relief to 43 million Americans who are drowning in student debt,” Sanders said in a statement to NPR, “the Trump administration has made it harder for them to understand how much they owe and how long it will take to pay back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What the administration has to say about GAO’s findings\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Office of Federal Student Aid is supposed to conduct quarterly reviews, according to its contracts with loan servicers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These reviews include comparing loan servicers’ borrower records with FSA’s own records, to screen for gaps or discrepancies, as well as “targeted reviews” of borrowers in specific situations, including those who request temporary relief from their payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assessments that were stopped are more labor-intensive than other types of oversight that have been automated, GAO says. According to the report, agency officials told the government watchdog they stopped these reviews in early 2025 “due to lack of FSA staff capacity.” That’s around the same time the Trump administration began dramatically reducing staffing levels at the Education Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the report, FSA began 2025 with 1,433 staffers; by December, it had 777 — a 46% reduction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a written response accompanying the report, Richard Lucas, FSA’s acting chief operating officer, disagreed with GAO’s recommendation that FSA resume the reviews. While he confirmed that FSA had, indeed, stopped the oversight in question, Lucas wrote, “FSA determined that a better approach is to provide substantial oversight through additional activities that measure the accuracy of servicer data and the quality of their performance.” Those activities include regular reviews of borrower satisfaction surveys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Melissa Emrey-Arras, who led the GAO study, says FSA’s “better approach” isn’t better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While reviewing those satisfaction surveys may be helpful, they don’t directly assess the quality of the information given to borrowers. A borrower may indicate they were satisfied with a call, not realizing they were given completely wrong information by their servicer,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The last FSA review found problems with loan servicer accuracy\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Scott Buchanan, the executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, which represents the servicers working on the federal student loan program, says servicers also police themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Servicers] internally are monitoring far more than any of our regulators ever could or would. Because it is in our best interest to make sure those errors are fixed. And because we have contracts, and if we have major issues that have become clearly apparent, then people will say, ‘We’ll find someone else to do it.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of 2024, before the Trump administration cut oversight, GAO’s review of servicer recordkeeping found that “four of the five servicers did not meet the accuracy performance standard and faced associated financial penalties.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, recordkeeping at two servicers was troubled enough to merit the maximum financial penalty allowed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And GAO notes that the Education Department’s independent financial auditor reported as recently as January 2026 that the department “continued to have a material weakness related to the reliability of its student loan data.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, Emrey-Arras says, scaling back oversight at FSA has also meant scaling back efforts to hold servicers financially accountable for their performance. This accountability, she says, “is critical. Without it, the government risks overpaying for poor performance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For borrowers, servicer mistakes can lead to very real problems, said Rep. Scott in a statement to NPR. “Borrowers can either overpay or be placed in the wrong student loan repayment program. [The Education Department’s] refusal to conduct oversight of student loan servicers is a dereliction of duty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Scaled-back oversight of big student loan changes\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These cutbacks in staff and oversight come as millions of federal student loan borrowers will need help transitioning into new repayment plans. The Biden-era SAVE plan is in turmoil, with borrowers now being charged interest and the plan due to be closed by 2028 at the latest. Another 12 million borrowers are \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/10/nx-s1-5690186/student-loan-default-repayment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">either in default\u003c/a> on their loans or on their way there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, in July, a raft of new, potentially challenging changes to the student loan program will begin — \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/07/24/nx-s1-5477646/student-loan-repayment-forgiveness-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">courtesy of Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act\u003c/a> — including the introduction of two brand-new repayment plans and the phasing out of others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>GAO warns that these changes will affect millions of borrowers who “will need accurate and complete information when they call for help,” yet, for the time being, the Education Department can’t be certain that’s what borrowers are actually getting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Student loan borrowers could be getting bad information from the companies hired to manage their loans. That is one takeaway from a new investigation by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. The GAO found the Department of Education under President Trump abandoned some oversight of those companies. NPR education correspondent Cory Turner got an early look at the report. Cory, good morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CORY TURNER, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: OK. When we hear that borrowers are getting bad information, what sort of bad information?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: Well, we’re talking about what borrowers are being told over the phone when they call their servicer with questions. What repayment plan should I be in? How much do I owe? Am I close to forgiveness? And also whether servicers’ records themselves for each borrower are complete and accurate. So the head of this GAO study, Melissa Emrey-Arras, told me stopping this oversight poses serious risks to borrowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MELISSA EMREY-ARRAS: They could be placed in the wrong payment plan, billed an incorrect amount, not be given a refund when they should. These are real financial consequences for borrowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: Now, Steve, as for the oversight that actually stopped, GAO found that the Ed Department used to do two really important things. One – department staff used to listen back to recordings of those phone calls I mentioned between student loan borrowers and call center workers to make sure they’re getting accurate information. And two – department staff would do these manual data comparisons between the department’s own borrower records and servicer records. And that’s because – I mean, I’ve talked to you many times over the years. Servicer records are notoriously messy, incomplete, maybe just wrong. And it’s worth noting, at the end of 2024, before these reviews stopped, four of the five servicers failed the data accuracy review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: Wow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: In other words, this oversight didn’t stop because everything’s awesome. It stopped in spite of serious red flags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: OK. So if it’s clear that the servicers are not doing a very good job, why would the administration have stopped the oversight?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: Well, there are a couple answers to that. What they say in their official response to this GAO report is those specific reviews didn’t really matter. Quote, they did “not meaningfully measure” servicer performance and will “not improve the financial health of the federal student loan portfolio.” The department also say they’re doing plenty of other oversight, which they are. But GAO says department officials told them, as part of their review, the oversight stopped because of a lack of staff capacity, which also makes sense when you consider the timeline here, Steve. The oversight stopped in February 2025. At roughly the same time, the Trump administration began downsizing the Ed Department, eventually cutting the student loan office nearly in half. In fact, today is the one-year anniversary of those huge layoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: OK. So the oversight stopped ’cause they fired the people doing the oversight. How does that story fit into the broader landscape of student loans right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: I mean, look. We’re – the next six months are going to be big, right? Without staff, without oversight, you’re going to have millions of borrowers calling with questions. You got 7 million folks who are still in the Biden-era SAVE plan. It is ending, and they’re going to need to put – be put in a different plan. And we have even more borrowers who are either right now in default or they are well on their way. And then in July, Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act starts rolling out a bunch of other really big student loan changes, including introducing two new plans. So as I said, it is safe to assume many borrowers are going to be calling their servicers with questions. And without this oversight, we won’t know what kind of help they’re actually getting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: Well, we can at least call on NPR education correspondent Cory Turner to give us the most reliable information possible. Cory, thanks so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: You’re welcome, Steve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF MOLLY LEWIS’ “CRUSHED VELVET (FEAT. THEE SACRED SOULS)”)\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Without this Education Department oversight, borrowers could \"be placed in the wrong loan repayment status, billed for incorrect amounts\" and more, the U.S. Government Accountability Office says.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1773424284,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 42,
"wordCount": 1727
},
"headData": {
"title": "Key Oversight Helping Keep Student Loan Records Accurate Has stopped, Watchdog Says | KQED",
"description": "Without this Education Department oversight, borrowers could "be placed in the wrong loan repayment status, billed for incorrect amounts" and more, the U.S. Government Accountability Office says.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Key Oversight Helping Keep Student Loan Records Accurate Has stopped, Watchdog Says",
"datePublished": "2026-03-11T10:48:17-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-13T10:51:24-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 21504,
"slug": "education-research",
"name": "Education research"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Cory Turner",
"nprStoryId": "nx-s1-5735661",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2026/03/11/nx-s1-5735661/student-loans-gao-education-department",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "2026-03-11T05:00:00-04:00",
"nprStoryDate": "2026-03-11T05:00:00-04:00",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "2026-03-11T09:16:04.388-04:00",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2026/03/20260311_me_some_federal_oversight_that_protects_student_borrowers_has_stopped_watchdog_warns.mp3?t=progseg&e=nx-s1-5702968&p=3&seg=15&d=233&size=3729076",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66190/key-oversight-helping-keep-student-loan-records-accurate-has-stopped-watchdog-says",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2026/03/20260311_me_some_federal_oversight_that_protects_student_borrowers_has_stopped_watchdog_warns.mp3?t=progseg&e=nx-s1-5702968&p=3&seg=15&d=233&size=3729076",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Just over a year ago, the U.S. Department of Education abandoned key oversight of the companies that run the federal student loan program, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108534\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new report\u003c/a> from the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>GAO investigators found that, in February 2025, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) stopped reviewing the accuracy of loan servicers’ records. FSA also stopped reviewing recordings of calls with borrowers to make sure they’re being given accurate information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without this oversight, the report warns, borrowers could feel the consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If servicers’ records are inaccurate, borrowers could, for instance, be placed in the wrong loan repayment status, billed for incorrect amounts, or not have a refund processed in time,” the report says. “Similarly, FSA has not monitored calls since February 2025, so there is a risk that borrowers have received or will receive incorrect information and poor customer service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The investigation was requested by the ranking members of the House and Senate education committees, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of providing relief to 43 million Americans who are drowning in student debt,” Sanders said in a statement to NPR, “the Trump administration has made it harder for them to understand how much they owe and how long it will take to pay back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What the administration has to say about GAO’s findings\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Office of Federal Student Aid is supposed to conduct quarterly reviews, according to its contracts with loan servicers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These reviews include comparing loan servicers’ borrower records with FSA’s own records, to screen for gaps or discrepancies, as well as “targeted reviews” of borrowers in specific situations, including those who request temporary relief from their payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assessments that were stopped are more labor-intensive than other types of oversight that have been automated, GAO says. According to the report, agency officials told the government watchdog they stopped these reviews in early 2025 “due to lack of FSA staff capacity.” That’s around the same time the Trump administration began dramatically reducing staffing levels at the Education Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the report, FSA began 2025 with 1,433 staffers; by December, it had 777 — a 46% reduction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a written response accompanying the report, Richard Lucas, FSA’s acting chief operating officer, disagreed with GAO’s recommendation that FSA resume the reviews. While he confirmed that FSA had, indeed, stopped the oversight in question, Lucas wrote, “FSA determined that a better approach is to provide substantial oversight through additional activities that measure the accuracy of servicer data and the quality of their performance.” Those activities include regular reviews of borrower satisfaction surveys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Melissa Emrey-Arras, who led the GAO study, says FSA’s “better approach” isn’t better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While reviewing those satisfaction surveys may be helpful, they don’t directly assess the quality of the information given to borrowers. A borrower may indicate they were satisfied with a call, not realizing they were given completely wrong information by their servicer,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The last FSA review found problems with loan servicer accuracy\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Scott Buchanan, the executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, which represents the servicers working on the federal student loan program, says servicers also police themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Servicers] internally are monitoring far more than any of our regulators ever could or would. Because it is in our best interest to make sure those errors are fixed. And because we have contracts, and if we have major issues that have become clearly apparent, then people will say, ‘We’ll find someone else to do it.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of 2024, before the Trump administration cut oversight, GAO’s review of servicer recordkeeping found that “four of the five servicers did not meet the accuracy performance standard and faced associated financial penalties.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, recordkeeping at two servicers was troubled enough to merit the maximum financial penalty allowed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And GAO notes that the Education Department’s independent financial auditor reported as recently as January 2026 that the department “continued to have a material weakness related to the reliability of its student loan data.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, Emrey-Arras says, scaling back oversight at FSA has also meant scaling back efforts to hold servicers financially accountable for their performance. This accountability, she says, “is critical. Without it, the government risks overpaying for poor performance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For borrowers, servicer mistakes can lead to very real problems, said Rep. Scott in a statement to NPR. “Borrowers can either overpay or be placed in the wrong student loan repayment program. [The Education Department’s] refusal to conduct oversight of student loan servicers is a dereliction of duty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Scaled-back oversight of big student loan changes\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These cutbacks in staff and oversight come as millions of federal student loan borrowers will need help transitioning into new repayment plans. The Biden-era SAVE plan is in turmoil, with borrowers now being charged interest and the plan due to be closed by 2028 at the latest. Another 12 million borrowers are \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/10/nx-s1-5690186/student-loan-default-repayment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">either in default\u003c/a> on their loans or on their way there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, in July, a raft of new, potentially challenging changes to the student loan program will begin — \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/07/24/nx-s1-5477646/student-loan-repayment-forgiveness-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">courtesy of Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act\u003c/a> — including the introduction of two brand-new repayment plans and the phasing out of others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>GAO warns that these changes will affect millions of borrowers who “will need accurate and complete information when they call for help,” yet, for the time being, the Education Department can’t be certain that’s what borrowers are actually getting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Student loan borrowers could be getting bad information from the companies hired to manage their loans. That is one takeaway from a new investigation by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. The GAO found the Department of Education under President Trump abandoned some oversight of those companies. NPR education correspondent Cory Turner got an early look at the report. Cory, good morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CORY TURNER, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: OK. When we hear that borrowers are getting bad information, what sort of bad information?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: Well, we’re talking about what borrowers are being told over the phone when they call their servicer with questions. What repayment plan should I be in? How much do I owe? Am I close to forgiveness? And also whether servicers’ records themselves for each borrower are complete and accurate. So the head of this GAO study, Melissa Emrey-Arras, told me stopping this oversight poses serious risks to borrowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MELISSA EMREY-ARRAS: They could be placed in the wrong payment plan, billed an incorrect amount, not be given a refund when they should. These are real financial consequences for borrowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: Now, Steve, as for the oversight that actually stopped, GAO found that the Ed Department used to do two really important things. One – department staff used to listen back to recordings of those phone calls I mentioned between student loan borrowers and call center workers to make sure they’re getting accurate information. And two – department staff would do these manual data comparisons between the department’s own borrower records and servicer records. And that’s because – I mean, I’ve talked to you many times over the years. Servicer records are notoriously messy, incomplete, maybe just wrong. And it’s worth noting, at the end of 2024, before these reviews stopped, four of the five servicers failed the data accuracy review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: Wow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: In other words, this oversight didn’t stop because everything’s awesome. It stopped in spite of serious red flags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: OK. So if it’s clear that the servicers are not doing a very good job, why would the administration have stopped the oversight?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: Well, there are a couple answers to that. What they say in their official response to this GAO report is those specific reviews didn’t really matter. Quote, they did “not meaningfully measure” servicer performance and will “not improve the financial health of the federal student loan portfolio.” The department also say they’re doing plenty of other oversight, which they are. But GAO says department officials told them, as part of their review, the oversight stopped because of a lack of staff capacity, which also makes sense when you consider the timeline here, Steve. The oversight stopped in February 2025. At roughly the same time, the Trump administration began downsizing the Ed Department, eventually cutting the student loan office nearly in half. In fact, today is the one-year anniversary of those huge layoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: OK. So the oversight stopped ’cause they fired the people doing the oversight. How does that story fit into the broader landscape of student loans right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: I mean, look. We’re – the next six months are going to be big, right? Without staff, without oversight, you’re going to have millions of borrowers calling with questions. You got 7 million folks who are still in the Biden-era SAVE plan. It is ending, and they’re going to need to put – be put in a different plan. And we have even more borrowers who are either right now in default or they are well on their way. And then in July, Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act starts rolling out a bunch of other really big student loan changes, including introducing two new plans. So as I said, it is safe to assume many borrowers are going to be calling their servicers with questions. And without this oversight, we won’t know what kind of help they’re actually getting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: Well, we can at least call on NPR education correspondent Cory Turner to give us the most reliable information possible. Cory, thanks so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TURNER: You’re welcome, Steve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF MOLLY LEWIS’ “CRUSHED VELVET (FEAT. THEE SACRED SOULS)”)\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66190/key-oversight-helping-keep-student-loan-records-accurate-has-stopped-watchdog-says",
"authors": [
"byline_mindshift_66190"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_21504"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_21981",
"mindshift_21408"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66191",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
},
"mindshift_66171": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66171",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66171",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1773140427000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "why-the-focus-on-willpower-backfires-with-kids",
"title": "Why the Focus on Willpower Backfires with Kids",
"publishDate": 1773140427,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Why the Focus on Willpower Backfires with Kids | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>For decades, psychologists believed willpower was the ticket to a good life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was thought that people with better willpower would be more successful,” says psychologist\u003ca href=\"https://carleton.ca/psychology/people/marina-milyavskaya/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Marina Milyavskaya\u003c/a> at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds of studies appeared to support this idea. Researchers found links between better willpower and \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15016066/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">better grades\u003c/a> in school,\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11519931/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> better relationships \u003c/a>and careers as adults, \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27329604/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">healthier diets\u003c/a> and even more\u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2861800/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> consistent parenting\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So psychologists and parenting experts advised parents to teach children to use willpower to\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/06/nx-s1-5737901/dopamine-kids-parenting-screens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> resist modern temptations,\u003c/a> such as sweets, fast food, video games, phones and other screens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the past 15 years, Milyavskaya and other psychologists have dug deeper into the studies, and they uncovered a major flaw: These studies weren’t actually measuring willpower but a different skill — the ability to avoid temptation in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in the process, they’ve found easier and more effective ways for parents to handle the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/12/1187130983/smartphone-tween-safe-alternatives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tsunami of temptations\u003c/a> in children’s lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Focusing on willpower can backfire\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Willpower is the ability to resist a temptation right in front of you, Milyavskaya says. “It’s the idea of effortful resistance of temptation.” For example, your ability to say no to a fast-food cheeseburger for dinner and choose baked salmon instead. Or to resist the video game and finish your homework.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fifteen to 20 years ago, it was thought you could train willpower,” she adds, by building a child’s ability to resist temptations the way athletes build up muscles — through practice. Let children play video games each day and teach them to stop after one hour, for example. Or expose your children to “forbidden” foods, such as chips, cookies and soda, so they can learn to self-regulate and not gobble up too many.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was this idea that if you’re exposed to junk food more, you’re going to resist it better,” says \u003ca href=\"https://michaelinzlicht.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Inzlicht\u003c/a>, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. But there was one big problem with this approach: It doesn’t work for very long. “Evidence from my lab and other people’s labs suggests that it’s not gonna help you in the long term.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, he says, trying to build up kids’ willpower actually backfires. By offering children temptations regularly, parents are teaching kids to prefer and want these foods and activities. “Guess what the kids are going to like?” Inzlicht asks. “Fatty foods and sweet foods because that’s what we’re programmed to like,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New strategies for modern temptations\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The original studies on willpower relied on surveys or questionnaires to measure a person’s self-control and their success in life. Researchers assumed these questionnaires measured a person’s willpower — the ability to resist temptations in front of you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the early 2010s, psychologists decided to stop relying on surveys and, instead, study \u003ca href=\"https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-28783-001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">what people do\u003c/a> in real life to meet their long-term goals. These studies\u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550616679237\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> revealed a surprise\u003c/a>, Inzlicht says. The more successful people didn’t have better willpower compared to those who were less successful. Instead, successful people set up their lives so they didn’t need to use willpower frequently. They exposed themselves to fewer temptations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this is the strategy parents should be teaching their children, says Wendy Wood, a\u003ca href=\"https://dornsife.usc.edu/wendy-wood/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> professor emerita of psychology\u003c/a> at the University of Southern California. “Teach them how to choose situations that reduce the likelihood of doing things that aren’t good for them. Teach them how to control the temptations,” Wood says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In essence, parents don’t need to teach kids how to say “no” to the marshmallow sitting in front of them — like in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/07/03/534743719/want-to-teach-your-kids-self-control-ask-a-cameroonian-farmer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">infamous Stanford study \u003c/a>— but rather, learn “how to put a pie pan over the marshmallow,” Wood says. Or how to avoid being in a room with marshmallows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For example, parents can teach kids to leave their phone in another room when they’re studying,” Wood says, or to use apps that block distracting websites and games. They can teach kids how to keep sweets and ultra-processed foods out of the house and out of their backpack or car. In other words, parents can create times and places in children’s life where distractions or temptations aren’t an option at all — and show them how they can implement this strategy themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Learn to love what’s good for you\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The great thing, Wood says, is that parents can help kids fall in love with the healthier alternatives — to love salmon and bok choy at dinner, love playing outside with friends, or love working hard in school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your kids’ choices are malleable, and it’s really influenced in part by what they’re exposed to,” she says. “You can truly learn to like the things that are good for you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To shape their preferences, she says, give your kids oodles of opportunities to experience the pleasure of these healthy options. For example, Wood wanted to teach her kids to love reading. So she kept books in the car and her purse. “I like to eat out at nice restaurants, and I would take my kids along.” While waiting at the restaurant, the only option they had was to read. And so they built a habit of reading. “Today my kids are still wild readers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, Carleton University’s \u003ca href=\"https://carleton.ca/psychology/people/marina-milyavskaya/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marina Milyavskaya\u003c/a> says, pay attention to how you talk about healthy foods and activities. Don’t present them as burdens, sacrifices or punishments. Instead, focus on how good these foods taste or how fun an activity offline is.\u003ca href=\"https://sparqtools.org/edgyveggies-research/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Studies have found \u003c/a>that our language shapes our preference for foods, as well as how much we eat them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether it’s eating healthier food or going to the gym, if you make the activity more fun in the moment, then you’re more likely to do it again,” Milyavskaya says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you want your child to love salmon, talk about how great it tastes with yummy, garlicky soy sauce and wild rice. And how great it makes you feel right after eating it. Something that a frozen ultra-processed dinner won’t do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Michaeleen Doucleff has a Ph.D. in chemistry and is a longtime science journalist (including previously for NPR). She has a new parenting book out called \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/06/nx-s1-5737901/dopamine-kids-parenting-screens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Dopamine Kids.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have some advice about how to help children handle unhealthy habits like eating too many sugary treats or spending too much time on that addictive device in your hand. For decades, psychologists have encouraged parents to help kids build up willpower. Our friend Michaeleen Doucleff reports that some now see a better strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF, BYLINE: In a nutshell, willpower is the ability to resist a temptation right in front of you – your ability to say no to a fast food cheeseburger and choose baked salmon instead, or to resist the video game and finish your homework.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MARINA MILYAVSKAYA: A fruitful resistance of temptation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: That’s Marina Milyavskaya. She’s a psychologist at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. She says scientists once thought that having a lot of willpower was the ticket to a good life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MILYAVSKAYA: People with better willpower would be kind of more successful in life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: They were more likely to get better grades, have better relationships, even eat healthier diets. Parents have been told to build up their kids’ willpower the way athletes build up muscles, through practice. Let children play video games every day and teach them to stop after 1 hour. Expose your children to sugary and junk food, then teach them how to resist them. But Michael Inzlicht at the University of Toronto says…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MICHAEL INZLICHT: Evidence from my lab and other people’s labs suggests that it’s not going to help you for the long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: In fact, he says, there’s accumulating evidence that trying to build up kids’ willpower actually backfires. By offering children temptations regularly, parents are teaching kids to prefer and want these foods and activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INZLICHT: And guess what the kids are going to like? Fatty foods and sweet foods because that’s what we’re programmed to like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: So what strategies do work for modern foods and technologies? Wendy Wood is a professor emerita of psychology at the University of Southern California. She says the better strategy is to teach kids to set up their lives so they don’t need to use willpower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WENDY WOOD: How to choose situations that reduce the likelihood of doing things that aren’t good for them, how to control the temptations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: And you do that by creating times and places in your life where temptations aren’t an option at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WOOD: How do you learn, when you’re studying, to leave your phone in another room?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: You learn to use apps that block distracting websites and games. You learn to keep sweets and ultra-processed foods out of your house and out of your backpack or car. And, Wood says, parents can teach kids to love the healthier alternative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WOOD: Your kids’ choices are malleable. And it’s really influenced, in part, by what they’re exposed to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: Give them oodles of opportunities to experience the pleasure of these healthy options. And don’t talk about the healthy options as a burden or a punishment. Studies show that if you celebrate and enjoy the healthy foods and activities, you grow to love them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WOOD: You can truly learn to like the things that are good for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: So if you want your child to love salmon, talk about how great it tastes with yummy, garlicky soy sauce, and how great you feel after eating it, something that a frozen, ultra-processed dinner can’t do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For NPR News, I’m Michaeleen Doucleff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: Man, I want some salmon now. Michaeleen was a longtime NPR science correspondent and has a lot more about kids, junk food and screens in her new book called “Dopamine Kids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "For decades, parents were told to help children build willpower like a muscle, to resist things like junk food and too much time on their screens. But new research suggests a better strategy.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1773112228,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 47,
"wordCount": 1771
},
"headData": {
"title": "Why the Focus on Willpower Backfires with Kids | KQED",
"description": "For decades, parents were told to help children build willpower like a muscle, to resist things like junk food and too much time on their screens. But new research suggests a better strategy.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Why the Focus on Willpower Backfires with Kids",
"datePublished": "2026-03-10T04:00:27-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-09T20:10:28-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 20827,
"slug": "motivation",
"name": "Motivation"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Michaeleen Doucleff",
"nprStoryId": "nx-s1-5736553",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2026/03/09/nx-s1-5736553/fast-food-screens-kids-health",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "2026-03-09T05:00:00-04:00",
"nprStoryDate": "2026-03-09T05:00:00-04:00",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "2026-03-09T12:55:44.462-04:00",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2026/03/20260309_me_a_better_way_to_help_kids_avoid_junk_food_and_screens.mp3?t=progseg&e=nx-s1-5723018&p=3&seg=7&d=210&size=3370467",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66171/why-the-focus-on-willpower-backfires-with-kids",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2026/03/20260309_me_a_better_way_to_help_kids_avoid_junk_food_and_screens.mp3?t=progseg&e=nx-s1-5723018&p=3&seg=7&d=210&size=3370467",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For decades, psychologists believed willpower was the ticket to a good life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was thought that people with better willpower would be more successful,” says psychologist\u003ca href=\"https://carleton.ca/psychology/people/marina-milyavskaya/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Marina Milyavskaya\u003c/a> at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds of studies appeared to support this idea. Researchers found links between better willpower and \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15016066/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">better grades\u003c/a> in school,\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11519931/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> better relationships \u003c/a>and careers as adults, \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27329604/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">healthier diets\u003c/a> and even more\u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2861800/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> consistent parenting\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So psychologists and parenting experts advised parents to teach children to use willpower to\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/06/nx-s1-5737901/dopamine-kids-parenting-screens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> resist modern temptations,\u003c/a> such as sweets, fast food, video games, phones and other screens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the past 15 years, Milyavskaya and other psychologists have dug deeper into the studies, and they uncovered a major flaw: These studies weren’t actually measuring willpower but a different skill — the ability to avoid temptation in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in the process, they’ve found easier and more effective ways for parents to handle the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/12/1187130983/smartphone-tween-safe-alternatives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tsunami of temptations\u003c/a> in children’s lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Focusing on willpower can backfire\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Willpower is the ability to resist a temptation right in front of you, Milyavskaya says. “It’s the idea of effortful resistance of temptation.” For example, your ability to say no to a fast-food cheeseburger for dinner and choose baked salmon instead. Or to resist the video game and finish your homework.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fifteen to 20 years ago, it was thought you could train willpower,” she adds, by building a child’s ability to resist temptations the way athletes build up muscles — through practice. Let children play video games each day and teach them to stop after one hour, for example. Or expose your children to “forbidden” foods, such as chips, cookies and soda, so they can learn to self-regulate and not gobble up too many.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was this idea that if you’re exposed to junk food more, you’re going to resist it better,” says \u003ca href=\"https://michaelinzlicht.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Inzlicht\u003c/a>, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. But there was one big problem with this approach: It doesn’t work for very long. “Evidence from my lab and other people’s labs suggests that it’s not gonna help you in the long term.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, he says, trying to build up kids’ willpower actually backfires. By offering children temptations regularly, parents are teaching kids to prefer and want these foods and activities. “Guess what the kids are going to like?” Inzlicht asks. “Fatty foods and sweet foods because that’s what we’re programmed to like,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New strategies for modern temptations\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The original studies on willpower relied on surveys or questionnaires to measure a person’s self-control and their success in life. Researchers assumed these questionnaires measured a person’s willpower — the ability to resist temptations in front of you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the early 2010s, psychologists decided to stop relying on surveys and, instead, study \u003ca href=\"https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-28783-001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">what people do\u003c/a> in real life to meet their long-term goals. These studies\u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550616679237\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> revealed a surprise\u003c/a>, Inzlicht says. The more successful people didn’t have better willpower compared to those who were less successful. Instead, successful people set up their lives so they didn’t need to use willpower frequently. They exposed themselves to fewer temptations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this is the strategy parents should be teaching their children, says Wendy Wood, a\u003ca href=\"https://dornsife.usc.edu/wendy-wood/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> professor emerita of psychology\u003c/a> at the University of Southern California. “Teach them how to choose situations that reduce the likelihood of doing things that aren’t good for them. Teach them how to control the temptations,” Wood says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In essence, parents don’t need to teach kids how to say “no” to the marshmallow sitting in front of them — like in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/07/03/534743719/want-to-teach-your-kids-self-control-ask-a-cameroonian-farmer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">infamous Stanford study \u003c/a>— but rather, learn “how to put a pie pan over the marshmallow,” Wood says. Or how to avoid being in a room with marshmallows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For example, parents can teach kids to leave their phone in another room when they’re studying,” Wood says, or to use apps that block distracting websites and games. They can teach kids how to keep sweets and ultra-processed foods out of the house and out of their backpack or car. In other words, parents can create times and places in children’s life where distractions or temptations aren’t an option at all — and show them how they can implement this strategy themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Learn to love what’s good for you\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The great thing, Wood says, is that parents can help kids fall in love with the healthier alternatives — to love salmon and bok choy at dinner, love playing outside with friends, or love working hard in school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your kids’ choices are malleable, and it’s really influenced in part by what they’re exposed to,” she says. “You can truly learn to like the things that are good for you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To shape their preferences, she says, give your kids oodles of opportunities to experience the pleasure of these healthy options. For example, Wood wanted to teach her kids to love reading. So she kept books in the car and her purse. “I like to eat out at nice restaurants, and I would take my kids along.” While waiting at the restaurant, the only option they had was to read. And so they built a habit of reading. “Today my kids are still wild readers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, Carleton University’s \u003ca href=\"https://carleton.ca/psychology/people/marina-milyavskaya/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marina Milyavskaya\u003c/a> says, pay attention to how you talk about healthy foods and activities. Don’t present them as burdens, sacrifices or punishments. Instead, focus on how good these foods taste or how fun an activity offline is.\u003ca href=\"https://sparqtools.org/edgyveggies-research/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Studies have found \u003c/a>that our language shapes our preference for foods, as well as how much we eat them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether it’s eating healthier food or going to the gym, if you make the activity more fun in the moment, then you’re more likely to do it again,” Milyavskaya says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you want your child to love salmon, talk about how great it tastes with yummy, garlicky soy sauce and wild rice. And how great it makes you feel right after eating it. Something that a frozen ultra-processed dinner won’t do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Michaeleen Doucleff has a Ph.D. in chemistry and is a longtime science journalist (including previously for NPR). She has a new parenting book out called \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/06/nx-s1-5737901/dopamine-kids-parenting-screens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Dopamine Kids.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have some advice about how to help children handle unhealthy habits like eating too many sugary treats or spending too much time on that addictive device in your hand. For decades, psychologists have encouraged parents to help kids build up willpower. Our friend Michaeleen Doucleff reports that some now see a better strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF, BYLINE: In a nutshell, willpower is the ability to resist a temptation right in front of you – your ability to say no to a fast food cheeseburger and choose baked salmon instead, or to resist the video game and finish your homework.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MARINA MILYAVSKAYA: A fruitful resistance of temptation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: That’s Marina Milyavskaya. She’s a psychologist at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. She says scientists once thought that having a lot of willpower was the ticket to a good life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MILYAVSKAYA: People with better willpower would be kind of more successful in life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: They were more likely to get better grades, have better relationships, even eat healthier diets. Parents have been told to build up their kids’ willpower the way athletes build up muscles, through practice. Let children play video games every day and teach them to stop after 1 hour. Expose your children to sugary and junk food, then teach them how to resist them. But Michael Inzlicht at the University of Toronto says…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MICHAEL INZLICHT: Evidence from my lab and other people’s labs suggests that it’s not going to help you for the long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: In fact, he says, there’s accumulating evidence that trying to build up kids’ willpower actually backfires. By offering children temptations regularly, parents are teaching kids to prefer and want these foods and activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INZLICHT: And guess what the kids are going to like? Fatty foods and sweet foods because that’s what we’re programmed to like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: So what strategies do work for modern foods and technologies? Wendy Wood is a professor emerita of psychology at the University of Southern California. She says the better strategy is to teach kids to set up their lives so they don’t need to use willpower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WENDY WOOD: How to choose situations that reduce the likelihood of doing things that aren’t good for them, how to control the temptations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: And you do that by creating times and places in your life where temptations aren’t an option at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WOOD: How do you learn, when you’re studying, to leave your phone in another room?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: You learn to use apps that block distracting websites and games. You learn to keep sweets and ultra-processed foods out of your house and out of your backpack or car. And, Wood says, parents can teach kids to love the healthier alternative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WOOD: Your kids’ choices are malleable. And it’s really influenced, in part, by what they’re exposed to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: Give them oodles of opportunities to experience the pleasure of these healthy options. And don’t talk about the healthy options as a burden or a punishment. Studies show that if you celebrate and enjoy the healthy foods and activities, you grow to love them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WOOD: You can truly learn to like the things that are good for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DOUCLEFF: So if you want your child to love salmon, talk about how great it tastes with yummy, garlicky soy sauce, and how great you feel after eating it, something that a frozen, ultra-processed dinner can’t do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For NPR News, I’m Michaeleen Doucleff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSKEEP: Man, I want some salmon now. Michaeleen was a longtime NPR science correspondent and has a lot more about kids, junk food and screens in her new book called “Dopamine Kids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66171/why-the-focus-on-willpower-backfires-with-kids",
"authors": [
"byline_mindshift_66171"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_20827",
"mindshift_21385"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_20772",
"mindshift_21920",
"mindshift_20787"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66172",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
},
"mindshift_66159": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66159",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66159",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1773136814000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "does-character-count-in-school-sports",
"title": "How Can Character Count in Sports When Winning is Everything?",
"publishDate": 1773136814,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "How Can Character Count in Sports When Winning is Everything? | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Last fall, a star soccer player at St. Benedicts Academy in New Jersey was suspended for two games after \u003ca href=\"https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2025/09/star-player-for-nj-soccer-dynasty-grabbed-photographer-by-throat-during-post-game-fight.html\">brawling\u003c/a> with players from the opposing team and then grabbing a photographer by the throat who caught the tussle on film. A post-game handshake went bad in Louisiana after a high-stakes football game when a player from Natchitoches Central High School \u003ca href=\"https://natchitochesparishjournal.com/2025/11/17/nchs-apologizes-after-unnamed-player-is-arrested-for-postgame-punch/\">punched\u003c/a> an opponent, sending him to the hospital. In Pennsylvania, s prominent soccer coach at Conestoga High School was quietly placed on leave after being caught making prop \u003ca href=\"https://www.inquirer.com/news/conestoga-high-school-david-zimmerman-gambling-20250817.html\">bets\u003c/a> on basketball games with students from the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bleak stories like these have become so common in youth and high school sports that few stories hold public attention for very long. Ask referees and umpires who oversee youth competitions and they’ll tell you that \u003ca href=\"https://www.espn.com/high-school/story/_/id/40186581/officiating-assault-referees-umpires\">sportsmanship\u003c/a> has worsened, especially among parents; thousands of sports officials have resigned as a result. Even so, according to a 2024 Harris \u003ca href=\"https://firsttee.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Cultivating-the-Next-Generation-of-Character2024.pdf\">poll\u003c/a>, 93 percent of mothers and fathers believe that sports build character in kids. And despite or because of the uptick in misbehavior at kids’ games, parents claim to value character education in sports and want coaches who respect ethics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most school athletic departments design mission statements that define what the school claims to value in its sports programs. Many refer obliquely to honesty, integrity and moral development, laudable attributes that coaches are expected to help develop in their players. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sbp.org/gray-bee-athletics\">St. Benedicts Academy\u003c/a>, for example, asserts that athletics are “about character, camaraderie and embracing values that withstand a lifetime.” But such statements often fail to reflect, or challenge, the reality of competitive school sports, where defeating an opponent can take priority over lessons in integrity and fair play. Hopes among some players of securing \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/7/9/name-image-likeness.aspx\">Name, Image and Likeness deals\u003c/a> in college also can reduce high school sports to brand-building opportunities. Talk of team loyalty and selflessness can seem quaint and unrealistic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.uidaho.edu/people/sstoll\">Sharon Stoll\u003c/a>, who runs the Center for Ethics at the University of Idaho, the research is definitive about athletics building what she calls “social character”: teamwork, perseverance, loyalty and work ethic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But these qualities lack a moral dimension; terrorists, after all, can be highly disciplined and hard working. When it comes to beneficence, responsibility, justice and honesty — the foundational principles of ethics — athletes are no more likely to understand and embrace them than kids in the stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most sports are about motor skills, not moral skills,” Stoll told me. “It doesn’t magically happen because you are walking or biking or jogging,” she added. The central dilemma for coaches is this: what are you willing to do to win?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some schools take deliberate steps to include character education in their sports programs. At the Menlo School in California, for example, water polo coach \u003ca href=\"https://www.menloschool.org/athletics/us-boys-varsity-water-polo/\">Jack Bowen\u003c/a> offers a model for how coaches and schools can make character development central to their teams. Bowen believes that athletic teams offer a natural setting for teaching moral reasoning because ethical quandaries pop up frequently in sports — and kids who play are a captive audience for learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ethics education for the team starts during preseason, when Bowen assigns \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/opinion/sunday/arthur-c-brooks-love-people-not-pleasure.html\">articles\u003c/a> for the players to read. Most of the stories are unrelated to sport. Then he invites the teenagers to talk about what they learned, first in smaller groups and then as a whole team; the smaller groups allow for more emotional risk-taking, Bowen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team also immerses itself in the athletic department’s mission \u003ca href=\"https://www.menloschool.org/athletics/about-menlo-athletics/\">statement\u003c/a> which elevates four central ideas: pursue excellence, celebrate team, honor the game and uphold strong values. The discussion isn’t a one-time event. Rather, Bowen elicits players’ opinions on ethical challenges that emerge throughout the season, striving to reconcile the mission with what they’re doing in practice and during games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the 2025 season, for example, Bowen noticed one of the Menlo players waving sarcastically at a teenager from the opposing team when that player fouled out. Because he cared for the teenager’s development and believes in the principles that guide the team, Bowen pulled his own player out of the pool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had to do it and the team understood,” Bowen said. It wasn’t a punishment, he added. Afterwards, the coach and player talked at length about what happened and how mocking an opponent, even subtly, dishonored the game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.roxburylatin.org/athletics/staff/\">Sean Spellman\u003c/a>, the head basketball coach at the Roxbury Latin School in Massachusetts, emphasizes a less formal concept of character building on his teams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It starts with the philosophy of the school and knowing and loving each one of the athletes,” Spellman told me. “There’s a genuine care and connection there, regardless of how they are as a defensive basketball player.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, he handed out a 65-question survey to the team that went beyond sports. Who do they admire? When do they feel their best — and worst? During one weekly film session, which Spellman uses to connect personally with the players, he introduced “Teammate Jeopardy” to encourage kids to learn about each other. Like Bowen, Spellman engages the team in collective conversations: What does it mean to have pride and be part of the Roxbury Latin community? What do we value here? While transparent about the adolescents’ play, Spellman assures the teenagers that their basketball skills don’t diminish their value to the group as a person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He strives to make the character dimension of sports tangible, even during the tensest moments of a game. Spellman will “burn a timeout,” as he put it, to remind the players during tight plays that it’s how they handle the high-stakes experiences that matter most, because they’ll have many more to grapple with as they age. “I cherish what this high school sports experience is,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coaches need help figuring out how to balance competing goals. To that end, a graduate student of Dr. Stoll’s, Samantha Lewis, launched a \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/5GF0vTbQfK2qDivtGB6ksw\">podcast\u003c/a> to help them talk through some of the ethical issues they’ll encounter. \u003cem>The Coach’s Dilemma: What Will You Do to Win?\u003c/em> addresses moral reasoning, trash talk, the impact of Name, Image, Likeness deals and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both coaches said that the wider culture makes these lessons harder to teach. Spellman lamented the way some team sports have mutated into vehicles for individual performances, with kids fussing over their metrics to the exclusion of the group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re trying to sell something that’s not being taught in our society,” Bowen said. Stoll reminded me that kids and teenagers need guidance to develop character through sports. They need engaged role models, a supportive environment and formal and informal education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Someone has to teach the moral values, someone has to be there helping the children navigate through life,” Stoll added.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Kids sports has become a pressure cooker of flared tempers and bad behavior. How does one develop sportsmanship when winning has become so important? ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1773111544,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 21,
"wordCount": 1182
},
"headData": {
"title": "How Can Character Count in Sports When Winning is Everything? | KQED",
"description": "Kids sports has become a pressure cooker of flared tempers and bad behavior. How does one develop sportsmanship when winning has become so important? ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How Can Character Count in Sports When Winning is Everything?",
"datePublished": "2026-03-10T03:00:14-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-09T19:59:04-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 21512,
"slug": "belonging",
"name": "Belonging"
},
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66159/does-character-count-in-school-sports",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Last fall, a star soccer player at St. Benedicts Academy in New Jersey was suspended for two games after \u003ca href=\"https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2025/09/star-player-for-nj-soccer-dynasty-grabbed-photographer-by-throat-during-post-game-fight.html\">brawling\u003c/a> with players from the opposing team and then grabbing a photographer by the throat who caught the tussle on film. A post-game handshake went bad in Louisiana after a high-stakes football game when a player from Natchitoches Central High School \u003ca href=\"https://natchitochesparishjournal.com/2025/11/17/nchs-apologizes-after-unnamed-player-is-arrested-for-postgame-punch/\">punched\u003c/a> an opponent, sending him to the hospital. In Pennsylvania, s prominent soccer coach at Conestoga High School was quietly placed on leave after being caught making prop \u003ca href=\"https://www.inquirer.com/news/conestoga-high-school-david-zimmerman-gambling-20250817.html\">bets\u003c/a> on basketball games with students from the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bleak stories like these have become so common in youth and high school sports that few stories hold public attention for very long. Ask referees and umpires who oversee youth competitions and they’ll tell you that \u003ca href=\"https://www.espn.com/high-school/story/_/id/40186581/officiating-assault-referees-umpires\">sportsmanship\u003c/a> has worsened, especially among parents; thousands of sports officials have resigned as a result. Even so, according to a 2024 Harris \u003ca href=\"https://firsttee.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Cultivating-the-Next-Generation-of-Character2024.pdf\">poll\u003c/a>, 93 percent of mothers and fathers believe that sports build character in kids. And despite or because of the uptick in misbehavior at kids’ games, parents claim to value character education in sports and want coaches who respect ethics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most school athletic departments design mission statements that define what the school claims to value in its sports programs. Many refer obliquely to honesty, integrity and moral development, laudable attributes that coaches are expected to help develop in their players. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sbp.org/gray-bee-athletics\">St. Benedicts Academy\u003c/a>, for example, asserts that athletics are “about character, camaraderie and embracing values that withstand a lifetime.” But such statements often fail to reflect, or challenge, the reality of competitive school sports, where defeating an opponent can take priority over lessons in integrity and fair play. Hopes among some players of securing \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/7/9/name-image-likeness.aspx\">Name, Image and Likeness deals\u003c/a> in college also can reduce high school sports to brand-building opportunities. Talk of team loyalty and selflessness can seem quaint and unrealistic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.uidaho.edu/people/sstoll\">Sharon Stoll\u003c/a>, who runs the Center for Ethics at the University of Idaho, the research is definitive about athletics building what she calls “social character”: teamwork, perseverance, loyalty and work ethic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But these qualities lack a moral dimension; terrorists, after all, can be highly disciplined and hard working. When it comes to beneficence, responsibility, justice and honesty — the foundational principles of ethics — athletes are no more likely to understand and embrace them than kids in the stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most sports are about motor skills, not moral skills,” Stoll told me. “It doesn’t magically happen because you are walking or biking or jogging,” she added. The central dilemma for coaches is this: what are you willing to do to win?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some schools take deliberate steps to include character education in their sports programs. At the Menlo School in California, for example, water polo coach \u003ca href=\"https://www.menloschool.org/athletics/us-boys-varsity-water-polo/\">Jack Bowen\u003c/a> offers a model for how coaches and schools can make character development central to their teams. Bowen believes that athletic teams offer a natural setting for teaching moral reasoning because ethical quandaries pop up frequently in sports — and kids who play are a captive audience for learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ethics education for the team starts during preseason, when Bowen assigns \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/opinion/sunday/arthur-c-brooks-love-people-not-pleasure.html\">articles\u003c/a> for the players to read. Most of the stories are unrelated to sport. Then he invites the teenagers to talk about what they learned, first in smaller groups and then as a whole team; the smaller groups allow for more emotional risk-taking, Bowen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team also immerses itself in the athletic department’s mission \u003ca href=\"https://www.menloschool.org/athletics/about-menlo-athletics/\">statement\u003c/a> which elevates four central ideas: pursue excellence, celebrate team, honor the game and uphold strong values. The discussion isn’t a one-time event. Rather, Bowen elicits players’ opinions on ethical challenges that emerge throughout the season, striving to reconcile the mission with what they’re doing in practice and during games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the 2025 season, for example, Bowen noticed one of the Menlo players waving sarcastically at a teenager from the opposing team when that player fouled out. Because he cared for the teenager’s development and believes in the principles that guide the team, Bowen pulled his own player out of the pool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had to do it and the team understood,” Bowen said. It wasn’t a punishment, he added. Afterwards, the coach and player talked at length about what happened and how mocking an opponent, even subtly, dishonored the game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.roxburylatin.org/athletics/staff/\">Sean Spellman\u003c/a>, the head basketball coach at the Roxbury Latin School in Massachusetts, emphasizes a less formal concept of character building on his teams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It starts with the philosophy of the school and knowing and loving each one of the athletes,” Spellman told me. “There’s a genuine care and connection there, regardless of how they are as a defensive basketball player.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, he handed out a 65-question survey to the team that went beyond sports. Who do they admire? When do they feel their best — and worst? During one weekly film session, which Spellman uses to connect personally with the players, he introduced “Teammate Jeopardy” to encourage kids to learn about each other. Like Bowen, Spellman engages the team in collective conversations: What does it mean to have pride and be part of the Roxbury Latin community? What do we value here? While transparent about the adolescents’ play, Spellman assures the teenagers that their basketball skills don’t diminish their value to the group as a person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He strives to make the character dimension of sports tangible, even during the tensest moments of a game. Spellman will “burn a timeout,” as he put it, to remind the players during tight plays that it’s how they handle the high-stakes experiences that matter most, because they’ll have many more to grapple with as they age. “I cherish what this high school sports experience is,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coaches need help figuring out how to balance competing goals. To that end, a graduate student of Dr. Stoll’s, Samantha Lewis, launched a \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/5GF0vTbQfK2qDivtGB6ksw\">podcast\u003c/a> to help them talk through some of the ethical issues they’ll encounter. \u003cem>The Coach’s Dilemma: What Will You Do to Win?\u003c/em> addresses moral reasoning, trash talk, the impact of Name, Image, Likeness deals and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both coaches said that the wider culture makes these lessons harder to teach. Spellman lamented the way some team sports have mutated into vehicles for individual performances, with kids fussing over their metrics to the exclusion of the group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re trying to sell something that’s not being taught in our society,” Bowen said. Stoll reminded me that kids and teenagers need guidance to develop character through sports. They need engaged role models, a supportive environment and formal and informal education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Someone has to teach the moral values, someone has to be there helping the children navigate through life,” Stoll added.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66159/does-character-count-in-school-sports",
"authors": [
"4613"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_21512"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_20649",
"mindshift_21268",
"mindshift_21246",
"mindshift_21651"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66168",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
},
"mindshift_66162": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66162",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66162",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1773050429000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-effort-to-rebuild-education-research-after-doge-cuts",
"title": "The Effort to Rebuild Education Research After DOGE Cuts",
"publishDate": 1773050429,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "The Effort to Rebuild Education Research After DOGE Cuts | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>A year ago, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency swept into the Department of Education and devastated its research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Nearly 100 contracts for major statistical collections and research studies were canceled. Roughly 90 percent of IES staffers were laid off, stalling many of the agency’s core functions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>IES had been one of the rare parts of the department with bipartisan support. Modeled after the National Institutes of Health, it was established in 2002 during the administration of former President George W. Bush to fund innovations and identify effective teaching practices. Lawmakers in both parties relied on its data to track student achievement and school spending, and on its evaluations of federally funded programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The now-gutted agency faces an ever more uncertain future as the Trump administration moves to eliminate the Education Department altogether. Yet some department officials, including Trump political appointees, have been working to preserve it. That effort took a small step forward with the Feb. 27 release of a report on the agency by a senior advisor to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66164\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-66164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"Woman standing in front of two flags\" width=\"250\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1.jpg 1829w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1-1463x2048.jpg 1463w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amber Northern, a senior advisor to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, wrote a 95-page report of recommendations to rebuild and reform the now-gutted statistics and research agency inside the department, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Amber Northern)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 95-page report, “\u003ca href=\"https://ies.ed.gov/ies/2026/02/reimagining-ies\">Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences\u003c/a>,” contains dozens of recommendations to rebuild and improve its core research and statistical functions. (The Education Department hasn’t committed to implementing any of them.) The author, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-welcomes-dr-amber-northern-senior-advisor\">Amber Northern\u003c/a>, directs research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education policy think tank. Northern told me she was approached by McMahon’s team in March of 2025, immediately after the DOGE cuts, to take on the role of “looking at IES with fresh eyes and giving them some feedback.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone was very alarmed,” said Northern. Before accepting the job, she said, she met with McMahon to receive assurances. “I was very frank about, ‘Are you serious? Do you want this agency rebuilt? Do you understand the importance of R&D?’” Northern said in an interview in early March of this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For all the reorganizing that’s going on, there is an awareness that IES is performing a unique service to the country, and we need to be thoughtful about its next steps,” Northern said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northern said she met with 400 people last year and read through more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.regulations.gov/docket/ED-2025-IES-0844/comments\">200 public comments\u003c/a> on reforming IES, many of them from research organizations, advocacy groups and individual researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers generally applauded the Northern report. Many of the recommendations mirrored the public comments for speeding research and statistical collections and making them more accessible and useful to schools. Indeed, many of the same ideas were also in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/26428/chapter/1\">2022 National Academy of Sciences report\u003c/a> on the future of education research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From what we can see, not one of the recommendations was a new idea to NCES,” Peggy Carr, \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-peggy-carr-interview-nces/\">former commissioner\u003c/a> of the National Center for Education Statistics, a statistical agency that is housed inside IES, told me in an email. “Many had already been implemented or we were working on when the center was dismantled. Other recommendations were met with implementation challenges, frankly hurdles, that we did not control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northern did not disagree. “It’s not as if I was trying to reinvent the wheel,” said Northern. “Some of these ideas are not unique or not new, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be doing them.” Northern said she didn’t track the progress that had already been made on some reforms or why others were not implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Not radical change\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s notable that the Northern report did not recommend radical changes, such as bringing statistical work in-house, as opposed to its costly practice of relying on outside contractors. That could save money but would require hiring more federal employees, an unpopular idea in Congress. (Earlier in her career, Northern worked at Westat, one of the primary contractors that IES relies on to conduct research, produce statistics and administer assessments.) Nor did Northern suggest sending federal research dollars directly to the states, which the Trump administration has proposed for all federal education spending. Northern mentioned this possibility only in an appendix, noting that it would require congressional authorization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But I’m not holding my breath. I decided to live in the real world,” Northern said, explaining that she focused on changes that IES could make under existing legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Publicly, however, she and her supporters say her report represents big shifts, which will perhaps be more appealing to the Trump administration which doesn’t want to be seen as reproducing an exact replica of what DOGE dismantled. “These are not nips and tucks,” Northern wrote in her report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of Northern’s recommendations are technical changes about things like Application Programming Interfaces, or API’s, that allow software to communicate with each other. But others are strategic ideas, such as focusing federal research on a handful of topics rather than scattershot studies in a variety of areas. She does not suggest what those big topics should be. Northern wants federally funded research to be more responsive to states’ education priorities, and not to researchers’ agendas, but didn’t specify exactly how to accomplish that. And she wants states to coordinate and test similar approaches in different settings to see which students benefit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Education Department did not respond to my questions about which recommendations it might adopt and when. An Education Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-receives-recommendations-reform-institute-of-education-sciences\">press\u003c/a> statement announcing the report’s release was guarded. Acting IES director Matthew Soldner was more enthusiastic in a lengthy \u003ca href=\"https://ies.ed.gov/learn/blog/reimagining-institute-education-sciences\">blog post\u003c/a>, but he’ll need a greenlight from political appointees to proceed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northern expressed optimism that IES will be saved, but wouldn’t speculate on specifics. “None of this stuff can happen until there’s a restaffing and there’s a plan first,” said Northern. “I’m confident this is going to happen. But how quickly? All those are questions that haven’t been answered yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Mixed signals\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The public release of the Northern report was itself seen as a positive sign by research advocates. Three people familiar with the report said it took more than two months to review because of concerns inside the administration, reflecting tensions between rebuilding parts of the department and the political priority to shut it down. During the delay, a senior Education Department official, Lindsey Burke, described IES as the department’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/01/14/lindsey-burke-on-closing-the-department-of-education/\">gem in the crown\u003c/a>” during an online event in January hosted by the news organization Chalkbeat. (Burke, previously a Heritage Foundation fellow who wrote the education chapter of \u003ca href=\"https://static.heritage.org/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf\">Project 2025\u003c/a>, said in that blueprint for the Trump administration that IES’s statistical role should be preserved but potentially split between the Census Bureau and the Department of Labor, with education research going to the National Science Foundation.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other signals from the administration point in many different directions. President Trump’s 2026 budget proposed cutting IES’s roughly $800 million budget by two-thirds. Then, the administration ordered the largest expansion of a higher-education data collection in history: a new \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-new-college-admissions-data-collection/\">college admissions survey\u003c/a> to enforce the ban on affirmative action. “They’re relying on IES in a lot of ways,” said Diane Cheng, vice president of policy at the Institute for Higher Education Policy, a nonprofit organization that advocates for increasing college access and improving graduation rates. “They seem to recognize that the data are essential for the field and for their priorities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congress ultimately rejected the proposed cuts and largely maintained IES funding. However, the Education Department still hasn’t spent the funds that Congress appropriated to IES in fiscal 2025. A Democratic congressional aide said there is “a lot” of unspent money at IES and that the department has not shared a plan for spending it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Congress begins a push\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Congress is pushing to rebuild. A committee report accompanying the 2026 appropriations bill directs the Education Department to rehire staff at IES. Even so, staffing remains far below the previous level of roughly 200 employees and now stands at 31, according to researchers. The headcount had dropped to as low as 23 after the mass firings but began rising again in the fall, largely to administer the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. Northern’s report does not address the canceled projects or the staffing shortages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least one influential observer believes last year’s destruction is creating an opportunity for real reform at IES. Mark Schneider, IES director from 2018 to 2024, said it has been difficult in the past to pursue incremental reforms like those proposed in the Northern report because of bureaucratic resistance. Still, Schneider knows that any rebuilding will be a political challenge. “It’s going to require a lot of pressure,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the debate continues, the patient may be slipping away. In a \u003ca href=\"https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/future-ies\">blog post\u003c/a> last week, Chester E. Finn, Jr., a former Education Department official in the 1980s and president emeritus at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, warned the loss of veteran statisticians is already degrading education data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without that expertise, we may never get an accurate picture of what is going on in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/jill-barshay/\">\u003cem>Jill Barshay\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Signal, or \u003c/em>\u003cem>barshay@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-ies-northern-report/\">\u003cem>IES\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "DOGE tore down the Education Department’s research and statistical agency. Now some in the Trump administration are pushing to rebuild it. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1773013284,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 27,
"wordCount": 1675
},
"headData": {
"title": "The Effort to Rebuild Education Research After DOGE Cuts | KQED",
"description": "DOGE tore down the Education Department’s research and statistical agency. Now some in the Trump administration are pushing to rebuild it. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The Effort to Rebuild Education Research After DOGE Cuts",
"datePublished": "2026-03-09T03:00:29-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-08T16:41:24-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 21504,
"slug": "education-research",
"name": "Education research"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Jill Barshay, \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66162/the-effort-to-rebuild-education-research-after-doge-cuts",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A year ago, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency swept into the Department of Education and devastated its research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Nearly 100 contracts for major statistical collections and research studies were canceled. Roughly 90 percent of IES staffers were laid off, stalling many of the agency’s core functions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>IES had been one of the rare parts of the department with bipartisan support. Modeled after the National Institutes of Health, it was established in 2002 during the administration of former President George W. Bush to fund innovations and identify effective teaching practices. Lawmakers in both parties relied on its data to track student achievement and school spending, and on its evaluations of federally funded programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The now-gutted agency faces an ever more uncertain future as the Trump administration moves to eliminate the Education Department altogether. Yet some department officials, including Trump political appointees, have been working to preserve it. That effort took a small step forward with the Feb. 27 release of a report on the agency by a senior advisor to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66164\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-66164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"Woman standing in front of two flags\" width=\"250\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1.jpg 1829w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/proof-northern-2-scaled-1-1463x2048.jpg 1463w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amber Northern, a senior advisor to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, wrote a 95-page report of recommendations to rebuild and reform the now-gutted statistics and research agency inside the department, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Amber Northern)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 95-page report, “\u003ca href=\"https://ies.ed.gov/ies/2026/02/reimagining-ies\">Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences\u003c/a>,” contains dozens of recommendations to rebuild and improve its core research and statistical functions. (The Education Department hasn’t committed to implementing any of them.) The author, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-welcomes-dr-amber-northern-senior-advisor\">Amber Northern\u003c/a>, directs research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education policy think tank. Northern told me she was approached by McMahon’s team in March of 2025, immediately after the DOGE cuts, to take on the role of “looking at IES with fresh eyes and giving them some feedback.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone was very alarmed,” said Northern. Before accepting the job, she said, she met with McMahon to receive assurances. “I was very frank about, ‘Are you serious? Do you want this agency rebuilt? Do you understand the importance of R&D?’” Northern said in an interview in early March of this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For all the reorganizing that’s going on, there is an awareness that IES is performing a unique service to the country, and we need to be thoughtful about its next steps,” Northern said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northern said she met with 400 people last year and read through more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.regulations.gov/docket/ED-2025-IES-0844/comments\">200 public comments\u003c/a> on reforming IES, many of them from research organizations, advocacy groups and individual researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers generally applauded the Northern report. Many of the recommendations mirrored the public comments for speeding research and statistical collections and making them more accessible and useful to schools. Indeed, many of the same ideas were also in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/26428/chapter/1\">2022 National Academy of Sciences report\u003c/a> on the future of education research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From what we can see, not one of the recommendations was a new idea to NCES,” Peggy Carr, \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-peggy-carr-interview-nces/\">former commissioner\u003c/a> of the National Center for Education Statistics, a statistical agency that is housed inside IES, told me in an email. “Many had already been implemented or we were working on when the center was dismantled. Other recommendations were met with implementation challenges, frankly hurdles, that we did not control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northern did not disagree. “It’s not as if I was trying to reinvent the wheel,” said Northern. “Some of these ideas are not unique or not new, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be doing them.” Northern said she didn’t track the progress that had already been made on some reforms or why others were not implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Not radical change\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s notable that the Northern report did not recommend radical changes, such as bringing statistical work in-house, as opposed to its costly practice of relying on outside contractors. That could save money but would require hiring more federal employees, an unpopular idea in Congress. (Earlier in her career, Northern worked at Westat, one of the primary contractors that IES relies on to conduct research, produce statistics and administer assessments.) Nor did Northern suggest sending federal research dollars directly to the states, which the Trump administration has proposed for all federal education spending. Northern mentioned this possibility only in an appendix, noting that it would require congressional authorization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But I’m not holding my breath. I decided to live in the real world,” Northern said, explaining that she focused on changes that IES could make under existing legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Publicly, however, she and her supporters say her report represents big shifts, which will perhaps be more appealing to the Trump administration which doesn’t want to be seen as reproducing an exact replica of what DOGE dismantled. “These are not nips and tucks,” Northern wrote in her report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of Northern’s recommendations are technical changes about things like Application Programming Interfaces, or API’s, that allow software to communicate with each other. But others are strategic ideas, such as focusing federal research on a handful of topics rather than scattershot studies in a variety of areas. She does not suggest what those big topics should be. Northern wants federally funded research to be more responsive to states’ education priorities, and not to researchers’ agendas, but didn’t specify exactly how to accomplish that. And she wants states to coordinate and test similar approaches in different settings to see which students benefit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Education Department did not respond to my questions about which recommendations it might adopt and when. An Education Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-receives-recommendations-reform-institute-of-education-sciences\">press\u003c/a> statement announcing the report’s release was guarded. Acting IES director Matthew Soldner was more enthusiastic in a lengthy \u003ca href=\"https://ies.ed.gov/learn/blog/reimagining-institute-education-sciences\">blog post\u003c/a>, but he’ll need a greenlight from political appointees to proceed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northern expressed optimism that IES will be saved, but wouldn’t speculate on specifics. “None of this stuff can happen until there’s a restaffing and there’s a plan first,” said Northern. “I’m confident this is going to happen. But how quickly? All those are questions that haven’t been answered yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Mixed signals\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The public release of the Northern report was itself seen as a positive sign by research advocates. Three people familiar with the report said it took more than two months to review because of concerns inside the administration, reflecting tensions between rebuilding parts of the department and the political priority to shut it down. During the delay, a senior Education Department official, Lindsey Burke, described IES as the department’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/01/14/lindsey-burke-on-closing-the-department-of-education/\">gem in the crown\u003c/a>” during an online event in January hosted by the news organization Chalkbeat. (Burke, previously a Heritage Foundation fellow who wrote the education chapter of \u003ca href=\"https://static.heritage.org/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf\">Project 2025\u003c/a>, said in that blueprint for the Trump administration that IES’s statistical role should be preserved but potentially split between the Census Bureau and the Department of Labor, with education research going to the National Science Foundation.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other signals from the administration point in many different directions. President Trump’s 2026 budget proposed cutting IES’s roughly $800 million budget by two-thirds. Then, the administration ordered the largest expansion of a higher-education data collection in history: a new \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-new-college-admissions-data-collection/\">college admissions survey\u003c/a> to enforce the ban on affirmative action. “They’re relying on IES in a lot of ways,” said Diane Cheng, vice president of policy at the Institute for Higher Education Policy, a nonprofit organization that advocates for increasing college access and improving graduation rates. “They seem to recognize that the data are essential for the field and for their priorities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congress ultimately rejected the proposed cuts and largely maintained IES funding. However, the Education Department still hasn’t spent the funds that Congress appropriated to IES in fiscal 2025. A Democratic congressional aide said there is “a lot” of unspent money at IES and that the department has not shared a plan for spending it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Congress begins a push\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Congress is pushing to rebuild. A committee report accompanying the 2026 appropriations bill directs the Education Department to rehire staff at IES. Even so, staffing remains far below the previous level of roughly 200 employees and now stands at 31, according to researchers. The headcount had dropped to as low as 23 after the mass firings but began rising again in the fall, largely to administer the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. Northern’s report does not address the canceled projects or the staffing shortages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least one influential observer believes last year’s destruction is creating an opportunity for real reform at IES. Mark Schneider, IES director from 2018 to 2024, said it has been difficult in the past to pursue incremental reforms like those proposed in the Northern report because of bureaucratic resistance. Still, Schneider knows that any rebuilding will be a political challenge. “It’s going to require a lot of pressure,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the debate continues, the patient may be slipping away. In a \u003ca href=\"https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/future-ies\">blog post\u003c/a> last week, Chester E. Finn, Jr., a former Education Department official in the 1980s and president emeritus at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, warned the loss of veteran statisticians is already degrading education data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without that expertise, we may never get an accurate picture of what is going on in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/jill-barshay/\">\u003cem>Jill Barshay\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Signal, or \u003c/em>\u003cem>barshay@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-ies-northern-report/\">\u003cem>IES\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66162/the-effort-to-rebuild-education-research-after-doge-cuts",
"authors": [
"byline_mindshift_66162"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_21504"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_29",
"mindshift_21963"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66163",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
},
"mindshift_66155": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66155",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66155",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1772823300000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "college-students-professors-are-making-their-own-ai-rules-they-dont-always-agree",
"title": "College Students, Professors are Making Their Own AI Rules. They Don't Always Agree",
"publishDate": 1772823300,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "College Students, Professors are Making Their Own AI Rules. They Don’t Always Agree | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>For English professor Dan Cryer, using generative artificial intelligence to write a college essay is like bringing a forklift to the gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If all we needed was the weights moved, then that would be great,” says Cryer, who teaches at Johnson County Community College outside Kansas City, Kansas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we need the muscles developed, and students going through the process of writing are developing those muscles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cryer says AI has also added a new type of labor for professors like him: trying to determine whether a student’s work is their own. He says that problem is compounded by the fact that his community college, like many other higher education institutions around the U.S., provides students access to AI tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says the advent of these tools has created a new burden for students too: finding the line between responsible and irresponsible AI use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not fair to them,” Cryer says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than three years after ChatGPT debuted, generative AI has become a part of everyday life, and professors and students are still figuring out how or whether they should use it, especially in humanities courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent survey suggests many students are diving right in: According to a poll by \u003ca href=\"https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/academics/2025/08/29/survey-college-students-views-ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inside Higher Ed and the Generation Lab\u003c/a> conducted last July, about 85% of undergraduates were using AI for coursework, including to brainstorm ideas, outline papers and study for exams. Roughly 19% of students also reported using AI to write full essays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than half of students who used AI for coursework had mixed feelings about it, reporting that it helps them sometimes but can also make them think less deeply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aysa Tarana, a recent college graduate, was in her first year at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities when ChatGPT was released. She says she started using the chatbot for little tasks, like suggestions for topics to research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Tarana says she eventually stopped using AI because it made her feel like “I was outsourcing my thinking, and that felt really weird.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s exactly what Cryer worries about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After spending a sabbatical studying generative AI, he came to his own conclusion: Cryer believes educators should use AI tools as little as possible in their teaching.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems to be one of the main purposes of these tools is to keep you from having to think so hard,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cryer says he now devotes more time to persuading his students of the value of putting in the work to become better writers. He says he explains to them that the goal of their education is the process, not the product — because society doesn’t need more college essays. “What we need is students to go through the process of writing research papers so they can become better thinkers, so they can put together a cogent argument, so they can differentiate between a good source and a bad source,” Cryer says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if students rely on AI to do their work for them, Cryer says, it could end up cheating them out of the education they signed up for.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A professor who sees value in generative AI\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Charlotte, N.C., Leslie Clement says she has come to view generative AI as a powerful collaborator that can enhance student learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We encourage [students] to use it because we know they’re going to use it, but to use it in a responsible way,” says Clement, a professor of English, Spanish and African studies at the historically Black Johnson C. Smith University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clement says she allows students to use AI to create outlines for their papers, get feedback on ideas and compare different sources of information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clement also co-created a course called “African Diaspora and AI” that examines how AI impacts people of African descent globally, including the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dangerous mining of cobalt\u003c/a>, a crucial component in AI technologies, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The course also covers potential future benefits of AI, as well as the contributions of Black researchers and scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking at Afrofuturism, how students can use these tools to reimagine their futures,” Clement says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says her goal has always been to foster critical, ethical and inclusive thinking — and she wants her students to apply those skills to their use of AI tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want students not only to use the tools for good but also to interrogate them,” Clement says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The AI study buddy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A couple of hours northeast of Clement, in Durham, N.C., pre-med student Anjali Tatini has found her own ways to use AI for good. Tatini is double majoring in global health and neuroscience and says AI tools have helped her better understand some of the complicated subjects she has been studying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take last semester, when Tatini, a 19-year-old sophomore at Duke University, says she was confused by some concepts in a biology course. She turned to Gemini — Google’s AI chatbot — for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d be like, ‘This is the concept — can you explain what it means?'” Tatini recalls. “And it would just respond to me. And if it was too high level, I could ask it to dumb it down a little bit, which was very helpful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other classes, like chemistry, Tatini says she has used AI to create practice problems to help her prepare for exams; in a marketing class, she has used it for brainstorming ideas; in statistics, she has used it to help her generate lines of code for data analyses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s helpful to have a tutor on demand, Tatini says, because she’s not always able to meet with her professors in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have jobs, I have other classes, I have clubs. I don’t have the time always to make all these office hours,” she says. “So it’s nice to have something that’s on my own time, able to respond to me the same way that maybe a person would.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tatini draws the line at having AI write for her. She says she’ll use these tools to help outline and organize her ideas, but the actual writing is all hers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I’m putting something out, I want it to be something that I’m proud to say this is mine. So I would never use AI to write something because it wouldn’t sound like me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>“What you produce is like a fingerprint to the world”\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nearby, in Chapel Hill, Hannah Elder, a 21-year-old junior at the University of North Carolina, also takes pride in owning her writing assignments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m such a strong believer in cultivating your own thoughts and being able to articulate them,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elder is a pre-law student, and she takes a mix of courses, including public policy and philosophy classes. She says she uses generative AI to proofread her work and to check it against course rubrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Elder says she’d never use it to write or generate ideas for her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learning how to formulate her own ideas and beliefs and communicate them through writing has been one of the most valuable parts of her college experience, Elder says. She worries that if students lean on AI to do that for them, they won’t learn to think for themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I use notebook paper still [for] all my notes, because I just believe so strongly in what you write down and what you produce is like a fingerprint to the world. And I think in some sense that’s being lost,” Elder says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Elder doesn’t think the solution is to ban AI entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t deny that it’s going to be a part of [the college experience],” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She wants educators to integrate AI instruction into curricula so students can learn to see the line between beneficial and harmful use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If teachers incorporate it in a responsible way through academics,” she says, “I think it’ll be seen less as a cheat code and more just like, ‘Oh, here’s the reality of this, and here’s how I can use it well, and here’s how it can help me.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This reporting was supported by a grant from the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tarbellcenter.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Tarbell Center for AI Journalism\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and the Omidyar Network’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://omidyar.com/update/omidyar-network-announces-2026-class-of-reporters-in-residence/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Reporters in Residence program\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "More than three years after ChatGPT debuted, AI has become a part of everyday life — and professors and students are still figuring out how or if they should use it.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1772823300,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 44,
"wordCount": 1462
},
"headData": {
"title": "College Students, Professors are Making Their Own AI Rules. They Don't Always Agree | KQED",
"description": "More than three years after ChatGPT debuted, AI has become a part of everyday life — and professors and students are still figuring out how or if they should use it.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "College Students, Professors are Making Their Own AI Rules. They Don't Always Agree",
"datePublished": "2026-03-06T10:55:00-08:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-06T10:55:00-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 195,
"slug": "digital-tools",
"name": "Digital Tools"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Lee V. Gaines",
"nprStoryId": "nx-s1-5716176",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2026/03/03/nx-s1-5716176/ai-college-students-professors",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "2026-03-03T05:00:00-05:00",
"nprStoryDate": "2026-03-03T05:00:00-05:00",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "2026-03-03T05:00:32.08-05:00",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66155/college-students-professors-are-making-their-own-ai-rules-they-dont-always-agree",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For English professor Dan Cryer, using generative artificial intelligence to write a college essay is like bringing a forklift to the gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If all we needed was the weights moved, then that would be great,” says Cryer, who teaches at Johnson County Community College outside Kansas City, Kansas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we need the muscles developed, and students going through the process of writing are developing those muscles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cryer says AI has also added a new type of labor for professors like him: trying to determine whether a student’s work is their own. He says that problem is compounded by the fact that his community college, like many other higher education institutions around the U.S., provides students access to AI tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says the advent of these tools has created a new burden for students too: finding the line between responsible and irresponsible AI use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not fair to them,” Cryer says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than three years after ChatGPT debuted, generative AI has become a part of everyday life, and professors and students are still figuring out how or whether they should use it, especially in humanities courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent survey suggests many students are diving right in: According to a poll by \u003ca href=\"https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/academics/2025/08/29/survey-college-students-views-ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inside Higher Ed and the Generation Lab\u003c/a> conducted last July, about 85% of undergraduates were using AI for coursework, including to brainstorm ideas, outline papers and study for exams. Roughly 19% of students also reported using AI to write full essays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than half of students who used AI for coursework had mixed feelings about it, reporting that it helps them sometimes but can also make them think less deeply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aysa Tarana, a recent college graduate, was in her first year at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities when ChatGPT was released. She says she started using the chatbot for little tasks, like suggestions for topics to research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Tarana says she eventually stopped using AI because it made her feel like “I was outsourcing my thinking, and that felt really weird.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s exactly what Cryer worries about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After spending a sabbatical studying generative AI, he came to his own conclusion: Cryer believes educators should use AI tools as little as possible in their teaching.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems to be one of the main purposes of these tools is to keep you from having to think so hard,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cryer says he now devotes more time to persuading his students of the value of putting in the work to become better writers. He says he explains to them that the goal of their education is the process, not the product — because society doesn’t need more college essays. “What we need is students to go through the process of writing research papers so they can become better thinkers, so they can put together a cogent argument, so they can differentiate between a good source and a bad source,” Cryer says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if students rely on AI to do their work for them, Cryer says, it could end up cheating them out of the education they signed up for.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A professor who sees value in generative AI\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Charlotte, N.C., Leslie Clement says she has come to view generative AI as a powerful collaborator that can enhance student learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We encourage [students] to use it because we know they’re going to use it, but to use it in a responsible way,” says Clement, a professor of English, Spanish and African studies at the historically Black Johnson C. Smith University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clement says she allows students to use AI to create outlines for their papers, get feedback on ideas and compare different sources of information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clement also co-created a course called “African Diaspora and AI” that examines how AI impacts people of African descent globally, including the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dangerous mining of cobalt\u003c/a>, a crucial component in AI technologies, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The course also covers potential future benefits of AI, as well as the contributions of Black researchers and scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking at Afrofuturism, how students can use these tools to reimagine their futures,” Clement says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says her goal has always been to foster critical, ethical and inclusive thinking — and she wants her students to apply those skills to their use of AI tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want students not only to use the tools for good but also to interrogate them,” Clement says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The AI study buddy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A couple of hours northeast of Clement, in Durham, N.C., pre-med student Anjali Tatini has found her own ways to use AI for good. Tatini is double majoring in global health and neuroscience and says AI tools have helped her better understand some of the complicated subjects she has been studying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take last semester, when Tatini, a 19-year-old sophomore at Duke University, says she was confused by some concepts in a biology course. She turned to Gemini — Google’s AI chatbot — for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d be like, ‘This is the concept — can you explain what it means?'” Tatini recalls. “And it would just respond to me. And if it was too high level, I could ask it to dumb it down a little bit, which was very helpful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other classes, like chemistry, Tatini says she has used AI to create practice problems to help her prepare for exams; in a marketing class, she has used it for brainstorming ideas; in statistics, she has used it to help her generate lines of code for data analyses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s helpful to have a tutor on demand, Tatini says, because she’s not always able to meet with her professors in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have jobs, I have other classes, I have clubs. I don’t have the time always to make all these office hours,” she says. “So it’s nice to have something that’s on my own time, able to respond to me the same way that maybe a person would.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tatini draws the line at having AI write for her. She says she’ll use these tools to help outline and organize her ideas, but the actual writing is all hers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I’m putting something out, I want it to be something that I’m proud to say this is mine. So I would never use AI to write something because it wouldn’t sound like me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>“What you produce is like a fingerprint to the world”\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nearby, in Chapel Hill, Hannah Elder, a 21-year-old junior at the University of North Carolina, also takes pride in owning her writing assignments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m such a strong believer in cultivating your own thoughts and being able to articulate them,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elder is a pre-law student, and she takes a mix of courses, including public policy and philosophy classes. She says she uses generative AI to proofread her work and to check it against course rubrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Elder says she’d never use it to write or generate ideas for her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learning how to formulate her own ideas and beliefs and communicate them through writing has been one of the most valuable parts of her college experience, Elder says. She worries that if students lean on AI to do that for them, they won’t learn to think for themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I use notebook paper still [for] all my notes, because I just believe so strongly in what you write down and what you produce is like a fingerprint to the world. And I think in some sense that’s being lost,” Elder says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Elder doesn’t think the solution is to ban AI entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t deny that it’s going to be a part of [the college experience],” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She wants educators to integrate AI instruction into curricula so students can learn to see the line between beneficial and harmful use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If teachers incorporate it in a responsible way through academics,” she says, “I think it’ll be seen less as a cheat code and more just like, ‘Oh, here’s the reality of this, and here’s how I can use it well, and here’s how it can help me.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This reporting was supported by a grant from the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tarbellcenter.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Tarbell Center for AI Journalism\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and the Omidyar Network’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://omidyar.com/update/omidyar-network-announces-2026-class-of-reporters-in-residence/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Reporters in Residence program\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66155/college-students-professors-are-making-their-own-ai-rules-they-dont-always-agree",
"authors": [
"byline_mindshift_66155"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_195"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_1023",
"mindshift_739",
"mindshift_21933",
"mindshift_851"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66156",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
},
"mindshift_66149": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66149",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66149",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1772449215000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "four-habits-to-help-teens-build-better-habits",
"title": "Four Habits to Help Teens Build Better Habits",
"publishDate": 1772449215,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Four Habits to Help Teens Build Better Habits | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>With their still-developing brains, adolescents can shrink from behaving in ways that serve their long-term interests. It’s easier to punt on geometry homework when Instagram beckons, and delay turning out the light when friends are sending midnight texts. Soiled clothing in a pile on the floor? Not a priority. Like everyone else, even teenagers with the best intentions can fall into habits that undermine their goals and are bewildered about how to construct the habits that will improve their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>James Clear’s blockbuster, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59910150\">Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Ways to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones\u003c/a>,” explores the underlying principles of habit formation and destruction and explains in simple steps how to change them. Intended for readers who have an appetite for altering their own habits, the book also provides tools for parents whose children need help adjusting theirs. If 40 to 50 percent of daily behavior is a function of habits, as researchers suggest, then these automatic actions can alter the shape of a life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are four essential ways to build the habits you want: “make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To shed a bad habit, consider the inverse: “make it invisible, make it unattractive, make it difficult and make it unsatisfying.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suppose a 14-year-old wants to be more disciplined about exercising after school. Most days, the teenager flops on the couch and scrolls through her social media when she gets home. In this case, she wants to replace a bad habit (scrolling) with a good one (going for a run.) To make the desired habit obvious, she might put her workout clothes right by the door she enters. This new context—clothes right there—is the cue to change and go. To make it attractive, she might try what Clear calls “temptation bundling,” attaching the sought-after habit with something she already enjoys. For example, if she likes listening to podcasts, she can stack that habit (listening to podcasts) with the one she avoids (exercising). To make it easy, she should start small, by exercising for just a short amount of time; when building new habits, it’s the consistency in carrying them out rather than the duration of the activity itself that makes them stick. Finally, to make it satisfying, she can reward achieving that goal with some small incentive that reinforces her new, desired habit. A week of daily exercising might warrant a pedicure or massage, for example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another teenager longs to give up junk food. He can start to make this food invisible by storing the chips and cookies in a high cupboard, out of sight; just catching a glimpse of the Chips-A-Hoy is a cue to eat them. To make the snacks unattractive, he can consciously reflect on the drawbacks to filling up on food created in industrial-sized vats and consider the advantages of giving up processed confections. To make it difficult, he might up the “friction” between himself and the food by keeping it out of the house entirely, so that the only way to give in is to travel to the grocery store. And to make the habit unsatisfying, he can conspire with a friend to report back if he slips up. The social cost of admitting the weakness taints the habit further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The four steps Clear proposes are grounded in the science of habit formation. A four-part feedback loop occurs unconsciously in the brain and compels much of our behavior: it starts with a cue, which prompts a craving, then triggers a response, which provides a reward. Clear’s system for creating new habits and eliminating old ones manipulates the cue-craving-response-reward cycle to generate the sought-after behavior change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atomic Habits includes more tips that teenagers might find helpful:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Be specific.\u003c/strong> When trying to change behavior, start by composing an “implementation intention.” This is a short statement asserting what, when and where you will make the adjustment: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].” For example, “I will run for ten minutes at 3:30 on the treadmill in the basement.” Vague and sweeping goals are easy to ignore; a precise plan that’s tailored to one’s life, much less so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Little changes compound over time.\u003c/strong> The high school freshman who decides she wants to exercise right after school does not need to overhaul her very existence to improve her fitness. By making slight adjustments to her daily habits, she can make substantial progress over time. The key to solidifying habits is to do them repeatedly, day after day; consistency in carrying out the behavior is what matters, even if these adjustments seem tiny. Small, achievable goals—say, exercising for two minutes—can grow and lead to significant change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adjust systems, not goals.\u003c/strong> When a teenager gives in to the craving for Doritos, he might be tempted to blame himself and rethink the intended junk-food ban. Instead, he might modify the system he has set up to prompt better eating. Did he delete the food delivery app that makes giving in easy? Has he found an accountability partner to report on his progress? A better system will prevent lapsing into bad habits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Don’t miss two days in a row.\u003c/strong> It’s human to err, especially when trying to alter unconscious behavior. What’s important is getting back on track the next day. After tweaking the system, return to the new habit right away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Thresholds are good times to change habits.\u003c/strong> Adolescence is defined by change, which gives kids abundant opportunities to try altering their behavior. The beginning of the school year, the start of a new semester or transition into another athletic season are natural times for kids to start fresh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Consider the social environment\u003c/strong>. Embracing new behaviors is more natural when peers reinforce them; taking up running will be easier if friends are runners, too. Whether trying to create new habits or break old ones, the larger environment can either aid or thwart the plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teenagers are famously striving to figure out who they are. “The process of building habits is actually the process of becoming yourself,” Clear writes. Working to develop habits that align with their burgeoning identities can help kids in that discovery.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The book \"Atomic Habits\" has tips for how teens can make small changes to build better habits and take bad habits out of their routines.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1772825366,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 17,
"wordCount": 1086
},
"headData": {
"title": "Four Habits to Help Teens Build Better Habits | KQED",
"description": "The book "Atomic Habits" has tips for how teens can make small changes to build better habits and take bad habits out of their routines.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Four Habits to Help Teens Build Better Habits",
"datePublished": "2026-03-02T03:00:15-08:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-06T11:29:26-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 193,
"slug": "teaching-strategies",
"name": "Teaching Strategies"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-66149",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66149/four-habits-to-help-teens-build-better-habits",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>With their still-developing brains, adolescents can shrink from behaving in ways that serve their long-term interests. It’s easier to punt on geometry homework when Instagram beckons, and delay turning out the light when friends are sending midnight texts. Soiled clothing in a pile on the floor? Not a priority. Like everyone else, even teenagers with the best intentions can fall into habits that undermine their goals and are bewildered about how to construct the habits that will improve their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>James Clear’s blockbuster, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59910150\">Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Ways to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones\u003c/a>,” explores the underlying principles of habit formation and destruction and explains in simple steps how to change them. Intended for readers who have an appetite for altering their own habits, the book also provides tools for parents whose children need help adjusting theirs. If 40 to 50 percent of daily behavior is a function of habits, as researchers suggest, then these automatic actions can alter the shape of a life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are four essential ways to build the habits you want: “make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To shed a bad habit, consider the inverse: “make it invisible, make it unattractive, make it difficult and make it unsatisfying.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suppose a 14-year-old wants to be more disciplined about exercising after school. Most days, the teenager flops on the couch and scrolls through her social media when she gets home. In this case, she wants to replace a bad habit (scrolling) with a good one (going for a run.) To make the desired habit obvious, she might put her workout clothes right by the door she enters. This new context—clothes right there—is the cue to change and go. To make it attractive, she might try what Clear calls “temptation bundling,” attaching the sought-after habit with something she already enjoys. For example, if she likes listening to podcasts, she can stack that habit (listening to podcasts) with the one she avoids (exercising). To make it easy, she should start small, by exercising for just a short amount of time; when building new habits, it’s the consistency in carrying them out rather than the duration of the activity itself that makes them stick. Finally, to make it satisfying, she can reward achieving that goal with some small incentive that reinforces her new, desired habit. A week of daily exercising might warrant a pedicure or massage, for example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another teenager longs to give up junk food. He can start to make this food invisible by storing the chips and cookies in a high cupboard, out of sight; just catching a glimpse of the Chips-A-Hoy is a cue to eat them. To make the snacks unattractive, he can consciously reflect on the drawbacks to filling up on food created in industrial-sized vats and consider the advantages of giving up processed confections. To make it difficult, he might up the “friction” between himself and the food by keeping it out of the house entirely, so that the only way to give in is to travel to the grocery store. And to make the habit unsatisfying, he can conspire with a friend to report back if he slips up. The social cost of admitting the weakness taints the habit further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The four steps Clear proposes are grounded in the science of habit formation. A four-part feedback loop occurs unconsciously in the brain and compels much of our behavior: it starts with a cue, which prompts a craving, then triggers a response, which provides a reward. Clear’s system for creating new habits and eliminating old ones manipulates the cue-craving-response-reward cycle to generate the sought-after behavior change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atomic Habits includes more tips that teenagers might find helpful:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Be specific.\u003c/strong> When trying to change behavior, start by composing an “implementation intention.” This is a short statement asserting what, when and where you will make the adjustment: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].” For example, “I will run for ten minutes at 3:30 on the treadmill in the basement.” Vague and sweeping goals are easy to ignore; a precise plan that’s tailored to one’s life, much less so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Little changes compound over time.\u003c/strong> The high school freshman who decides she wants to exercise right after school does not need to overhaul her very existence to improve her fitness. By making slight adjustments to her daily habits, she can make substantial progress over time. The key to solidifying habits is to do them repeatedly, day after day; consistency in carrying out the behavior is what matters, even if these adjustments seem tiny. Small, achievable goals—say, exercising for two minutes—can grow and lead to significant change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adjust systems, not goals.\u003c/strong> When a teenager gives in to the craving for Doritos, he might be tempted to blame himself and rethink the intended junk-food ban. Instead, he might modify the system he has set up to prompt better eating. Did he delete the food delivery app that makes giving in easy? Has he found an accountability partner to report on his progress? A better system will prevent lapsing into bad habits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Don’t miss two days in a row.\u003c/strong> It’s human to err, especially when trying to alter unconscious behavior. What’s important is getting back on track the next day. After tweaking the system, return to the new habit right away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Thresholds are good times to change habits.\u003c/strong> Adolescence is defined by change, which gives kids abundant opportunities to try altering their behavior. The beginning of the school year, the start of a new semester or transition into another athletic season are natural times for kids to start fresh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Consider the social environment\u003c/strong>. Embracing new behaviors is more natural when peers reinforce them; taking up running will be easier if friends are runners, too. Whether trying to create new habits or break old ones, the larger environment can either aid or thwart the plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teenagers are famously striving to figure out who they are. “The process of building habits is actually the process of becoming yourself,” Clear writes. Working to develop habits that align with their burgeoning identities can help kids in that discovery.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66149/four-habits-to-help-teens-build-better-habits",
"authors": [
"4613"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_193"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_21669",
"mindshift_20725",
"mindshift_21159"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66150",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
},
"mindshift_66144": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66144",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66144",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1771844441000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "parents-trust-report-cards-more-than-standardized-test-scores-with-consequences-for-kids",
"title": "Parents Trust Report Cards More Than Standardized Test Scores — With Consequences for Kids",
"publishDate": 1771844441,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Parents Trust Report Cards More Than Standardized Test Scores — With Consequences for Kids | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Most parents want to help their children succeed. We check report cards, ask about homework and try to help our kids study. When that fails, we sometimes hire tutors. But in an era of rising grades, it’s easy to be misled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new study finds parents often assume everything is fine when their child’s report card shows mostly A’s even when standardized test scores slide. That assumption may underestimate the help and guidance their child needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an online experiment, researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Chicago created hypothetical fifth graders, whom they called Stacey and Robert, and asked more than 2,000 parents how they would advise the children’s parents to respond to different scenarios of grades and test scores. Test scores were expressed as percentile ranks on standardized tests, such as the annual state tests that public school children take each spring, so that parents could compare Stacey and Robert with those of other children nationwide. And study participants were given an imaginary $100 per week to “spend” however they wished. Options included enrolling the child in an after-school program, hiring a tutor or saving the money for a vacation or bills. They could also invest their own time, such as helping with homework or reading together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents advised increasing time and money spent when both grades and test scores were low. Parents were less likely to provide extra help or resources when grades were high and only test scores were low. The researchers found that parents were more likely to step in when grades were low but test scores were higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 70 percent of the parents said they trust grades more than tests for making decisions about their own child, and fewer than 9 percent said they had more confidence in tests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings appear in a \u003ca href=\"https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6174458\">draft paper\u003c/a> that has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal and may still be revised. It was publicly circulated by the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As test scores have \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/naep-test-2024-dismal-report/\">fallen\u003c/a> nationwide while grades have \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-grade-inflation-lower-pay/\">risen\u003c/a>, the researchers believe that parents may be underinvesting in their children. “Parents are the key to children’s success,” said Ariel Kalil at the University of Chicago. “What you need is for parents to be making investments in their kids’ skill development, and you need that parental effort to be happening early and often. Anything that depresses parent investment is a problem.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalil is concerned that this underinvestment in children is more pronounced in low-income communities, where, she said, high grades are often issued for below-grade-level skills. After the pandemic, schools struggled to persuade families to enroll in free tutoring and summer programs to make up for months of disrupted instruction. Many report cards showed solid grades, reducing the urgency for parents to act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paired with other recent research on long-term academic and economic consequences, this study strengthens the case that grade inflation isn’t harmless. Inflated grades may feel encouraging, but they can send false signals both to students, who may study less, and to parents, who may see less reason to step in. Ultimately, it not only hurts individuals, but American labor force skills and future economic growth, the researchers argue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalil, a behavioral scientist, believes that parents have more confidence in grades because they are familiar and easier to understand. Meanwhile, score reports are complicated and even many well-educated parents are confused about scaled scores and percentile rankings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A survey that accompanied the online experiment revealed that a sizable share of parents don’t trust standardized tests. Forty percent of the parents in the study said that tests were biased. Almost 30 percent thought student scores were a reflection of family income. Fewer than 20 percent of parents thought tests captured their children’s skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalil says there’s another psychological phenomenon at play even for parents who understand and value standardized tests: the tendency to ignore bad news when it is paired with good news. “If the report card is all A’s, there’s a cognitive bias towards sticking your head in the sand and rejecting the bad information,” said Kalil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were hints in the data that Hispanic families were most trusting of grades and least trusting of test scores, while Asian families were more willing to heed test results. But few Hispanic and Asian parents participated in the survey, so these patterns were not statistically significant. (Almost 70 percent of the respondents were white and 20 percent Black.) Parents with at least a bachelor’s degree also paid more attention to standardized exams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solving the problem won’t be easy. The researchers say schools can do more to explain what test scores measure and how to interpret them, but better communication alone may not shift parents’ instincts. Reversing grade inflation would be the most direct solution, but that would require a broader shift across schools — something that is unlikely to happen quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, the burden is on parents to read report cards with a critical eye. When grades and test scores don’t align, it’s worth asking why. A strong report card can be reassuring, but it may not always tell the full story of what a child knows — or what help they might need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/jill-barshay/\">\u003cem>Jill Barshay\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Signal, or \u003c/em>\u003cem>barshay@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-parents-report-cards/\">\u003cem>parents and report cards\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A study of 2,000 parents finds that they’re more inclined to step in with extra help when grades, but not test scores, are slipping.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1771823962,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 19,
"wordCount": 976
},
"headData": {
"title": "Parents Trust Report Cards More Than Standardized Test Scores — With Consequences for Kids | KQED",
"description": "A study of 2,000 parents finds that they’re more inclined to step in with extra help when grades, but not test scores, are slipping.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Parents Trust Report Cards More Than Standardized Test Scores — With Consequences for Kids",
"datePublished": "2026-02-23T03:00:41-08:00",
"dateModified": "2026-02-22T21:19:22-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 21482,
"slug": "grades",
"name": "Grades"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Jill Barshay, \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66144/parents-trust-report-cards-more-than-standardized-test-scores-with-consequences-for-kids",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Most parents want to help their children succeed. We check report cards, ask about homework and try to help our kids study. When that fails, we sometimes hire tutors. But in an era of rising grades, it’s easy to be misled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new study finds parents often assume everything is fine when their child’s report card shows mostly A’s even when standardized test scores slide. That assumption may underestimate the help and guidance their child needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an online experiment, researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Chicago created hypothetical fifth graders, whom they called Stacey and Robert, and asked more than 2,000 parents how they would advise the children’s parents to respond to different scenarios of grades and test scores. Test scores were expressed as percentile ranks on standardized tests, such as the annual state tests that public school children take each spring, so that parents could compare Stacey and Robert with those of other children nationwide. And study participants were given an imaginary $100 per week to “spend” however they wished. Options included enrolling the child in an after-school program, hiring a tutor or saving the money for a vacation or bills. They could also invest their own time, such as helping with homework or reading together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents advised increasing time and money spent when both grades and test scores were low. Parents were less likely to provide extra help or resources when grades were high and only test scores were low. The researchers found that parents were more likely to step in when grades were low but test scores were higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 70 percent of the parents said they trust grades more than tests for making decisions about their own child, and fewer than 9 percent said they had more confidence in tests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings appear in a \u003ca href=\"https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6174458\">draft paper\u003c/a> that has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal and may still be revised. It was publicly circulated by the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As test scores have \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/naep-test-2024-dismal-report/\">fallen\u003c/a> nationwide while grades have \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-grade-inflation-lower-pay/\">risen\u003c/a>, the researchers believe that parents may be underinvesting in their children. “Parents are the key to children’s success,” said Ariel Kalil at the University of Chicago. “What you need is for parents to be making investments in their kids’ skill development, and you need that parental effort to be happening early and often. Anything that depresses parent investment is a problem.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalil is concerned that this underinvestment in children is more pronounced in low-income communities, where, she said, high grades are often issued for below-grade-level skills. After the pandemic, schools struggled to persuade families to enroll in free tutoring and summer programs to make up for months of disrupted instruction. Many report cards showed solid grades, reducing the urgency for parents to act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paired with other recent research on long-term academic and economic consequences, this study strengthens the case that grade inflation isn’t harmless. Inflated grades may feel encouraging, but they can send false signals both to students, who may study less, and to parents, who may see less reason to step in. Ultimately, it not only hurts individuals, but American labor force skills and future economic growth, the researchers argue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalil, a behavioral scientist, believes that parents have more confidence in grades because they are familiar and easier to understand. Meanwhile, score reports are complicated and even many well-educated parents are confused about scaled scores and percentile rankings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A survey that accompanied the online experiment revealed that a sizable share of parents don’t trust standardized tests. Forty percent of the parents in the study said that tests were biased. Almost 30 percent thought student scores were a reflection of family income. Fewer than 20 percent of parents thought tests captured their children’s skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalil says there’s another psychological phenomenon at play even for parents who understand and value standardized tests: the tendency to ignore bad news when it is paired with good news. “If the report card is all A’s, there’s a cognitive bias towards sticking your head in the sand and rejecting the bad information,” said Kalil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were hints in the data that Hispanic families were most trusting of grades and least trusting of test scores, while Asian families were more willing to heed test results. But few Hispanic and Asian parents participated in the survey, so these patterns were not statistically significant. (Almost 70 percent of the respondents were white and 20 percent Black.) Parents with at least a bachelor’s degree also paid more attention to standardized exams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solving the problem won’t be easy. The researchers say schools can do more to explain what test scores measure and how to interpret them, but better communication alone may not shift parents’ instincts. Reversing grade inflation would be the most direct solution, but that would require a broader shift across schools — something that is unlikely to happen quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, the burden is on parents to read report cards with a critical eye. When grades and test scores don’t align, it’s worth asking why. A strong report card can be reassuring, but it may not always tell the full story of what a child knows — or what help they might need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/jill-barshay/\">\u003cem>Jill Barshay\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Signal, or \u003c/em>\u003cem>barshay@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-parents-report-cards/\">\u003cem>parents and report cards\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66144/parents-trust-report-cards-more-than-standardized-test-scores-with-consequences-for-kids",
"authors": [
"byline_mindshift_66144"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_21482"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_21789",
"mindshift_21110",
"mindshift_883"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66145",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
},
"mindshift_66135": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66135",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66135",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1771239659000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "when-difference-can-school-size-make-in-a-students-life",
"title": "What Difference Can School Size Make in a Student's Life?",
"publishDate": 1771239659,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "What Difference Can School Size Make in a Student’s Life? | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>For two decades, New York City’s small high schools stood out as one of the nation’s most ambitious — and controversial — urban education reforms. Now, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mdrc.org/work/publications/enduring-success\">long-term study\u003c/a> provides a clearer picture of their successes and disappointments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early 2000s, under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city closed dozens of large high schools with high dropout rates in low-income neighborhoods and, with \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/once-sold-as-the-solution-small-high-schools-are-now-on-the-back-burner/\">$150 million\u003c/a> from the Gates Foundation, replaced them with smaller ones, often located in the same buildings. Admission to more than 120 of the most popular new small schools was determined by lottery, creating the kind of random assignment researchers prize. (That represented the vast majority of the city’s 140 new small schools.) MDRC, a nonprofit research organization, followed four cohorts of students from the classes of 2009 through 2012 for six years after high school. (Disclosure: The \u003ca href=\"https://www.mdrc.org/work/publications/enduring-success\">MDRC analysis\u003c/a> was funded by the Gates and Spencer foundations, which are among the many funders of The Hechinger Report.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The early gains were substantial. Two-thirds of students entered high school below grade level in reading or math. Yet 76 percent of students admitted to small schools graduated, compared with 68 percent of those who lost the lottery — an 8 percentage point increase. Because more students finished in four years, the schools were cheaper on a per-graduate basis, MDRC found, even though they cost more per student and required more administrators overall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>College enrollment rose sharply as well. Fifty-three percent of small-school students enrolled in postsecondary education after high school, compared with 43 percent of the comparison group — a nearly 10 percentage point difference. Most attended a college within the City University of New York system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small schools enrolled roughly 100 students per grade, creating tighter communities where teachers and students were more likely to know one another. Rebecca Unterman, the MDRC researcher who led the study, said the relationships formed in these environments may help explain the graduation and college-going gains. Many schools also built advisory systems in which teachers met regularly with the same students to guide them through academic and emotional challenges and the college process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The longer-term picture is more sobering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although more students enrolled in both four- and two-year colleges, small school alumni did not complete community college in greater numbers than the comparison group. After six years, about 10 percent of students had earned an associate degree, roughly the same share as students who did not attend the small schools. Researchers also found no differences in employment or earnings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was one notable exception. Students who enrolled in four-year colleges were more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree if they had attended a small high school. Almost 15 percent of the small-school students earned a four-year degree within six years, compared with 12 percent of their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joel Klein was the New York City schools chancellor from 2002 to 2011 during the overhaul. Klein said the data shows that the small school effort was worthwhile. He considers it one of his most important accomplishments, along with the expansion of charter schools. Closing large high schools and replacing them with new ones required significant political will, he said, when it sparked resistance from the teachers union. Teachers weren’t guaranteed jobs in the new smaller schools and had to apply again or find another school to hire them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New York wasn’t the only city to try small schools. Baltimore and Oakland, California, among others, also used Gates Foundation money to experiment with the concept. The \u003ca href=\"https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/documents/year4evaluationairsri.pdf\">results\u003c/a> were not encouraging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Klein argues other cities failed to replicate New York’s success because they simply divided large schools into smaller units without building new cultures. In New York, aspiring principals submitted detailed proposals, just like charter schools, and schools opened gradually, adding one grade at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were unintended consequences in New York too. During the transition years between the closure of the old school and the slow ramp-up of the new small schools, seats were limited. Enrollments in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.centernyc.org/collateral-damage/\">remaining large schools\u003c/a> in the city rose. While some students enjoyed the intimacy of the new small schools, many more students suffered overcrowding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether because of political resistance, replication challenges or shifting philanthropic priorities, the small-school movement eventually sputtered out. By the 2010s, would-be reformers had shifted their attention toward evaluating teacher effectiveness and school turnaround strategies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, with enrollment declining in many districts, school consolidation, not expansion, dominates the conversation. MDRC’s Unterman said some districts are now exploring whether elements of the small school model — advisory systems or “schools within schools” — can be recreated inside larger campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By all accounts, New York City’s small schools were a vast improvement over the foundering schools they replaced. A majority remain in operation, a testament to their staying power. However, the evidence they leave behind also underscores a hard truth. Improving high school can move important milestones, like getting more students to go to college. Altering students’ economic trajectories may require more radical change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about small high schools was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Jill Barshay’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A study of more than 120 small New York City high schools finds higher rates of college enrollment, but not degrees, jobs or income",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1771526094,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 18,
"wordCount": 906
},
"headData": {
"title": "What Difference Can School Size Make in a Student's Life? | KQED",
"description": "A study of more than 120 small New York City high schools finds higher rates of college enrollment, but not degrees, jobs or income",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "What Difference Can School Size Make in a Student's Life?",
"datePublished": "2026-02-16T03:00:59-08:00",
"dateModified": "2026-02-19T10:34:54-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 21504,
"slug": "education-research",
"name": "Education research"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Jill Barshay, \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-66135",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66135/when-difference-can-school-size-make-in-a-students-life",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For two decades, New York City’s small high schools stood out as one of the nation’s most ambitious — and controversial — urban education reforms. Now, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mdrc.org/work/publications/enduring-success\">long-term study\u003c/a> provides a clearer picture of their successes and disappointments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early 2000s, under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city closed dozens of large high schools with high dropout rates in low-income neighborhoods and, with \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/once-sold-as-the-solution-small-high-schools-are-now-on-the-back-burner/\">$150 million\u003c/a> from the Gates Foundation, replaced them with smaller ones, often located in the same buildings. Admission to more than 120 of the most popular new small schools was determined by lottery, creating the kind of random assignment researchers prize. (That represented the vast majority of the city’s 140 new small schools.) MDRC, a nonprofit research organization, followed four cohorts of students from the classes of 2009 through 2012 for six years after high school. (Disclosure: The \u003ca href=\"https://www.mdrc.org/work/publications/enduring-success\">MDRC analysis\u003c/a> was funded by the Gates and Spencer foundations, which are among the many funders of The Hechinger Report.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The early gains were substantial. Two-thirds of students entered high school below grade level in reading or math. Yet 76 percent of students admitted to small schools graduated, compared with 68 percent of those who lost the lottery — an 8 percentage point increase. Because more students finished in four years, the schools were cheaper on a per-graduate basis, MDRC found, even though they cost more per student and required more administrators overall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>College enrollment rose sharply as well. Fifty-three percent of small-school students enrolled in postsecondary education after high school, compared with 43 percent of the comparison group — a nearly 10 percentage point difference. Most attended a college within the City University of New York system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small schools enrolled roughly 100 students per grade, creating tighter communities where teachers and students were more likely to know one another. Rebecca Unterman, the MDRC researcher who led the study, said the relationships formed in these environments may help explain the graduation and college-going gains. Many schools also built advisory systems in which teachers met regularly with the same students to guide them through academic and emotional challenges and the college process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The longer-term picture is more sobering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although more students enrolled in both four- and two-year colleges, small school alumni did not complete community college in greater numbers than the comparison group. After six years, about 10 percent of students had earned an associate degree, roughly the same share as students who did not attend the small schools. Researchers also found no differences in employment or earnings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was one notable exception. Students who enrolled in four-year colleges were more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree if they had attended a small high school. Almost 15 percent of the small-school students earned a four-year degree within six years, compared with 12 percent of their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joel Klein was the New York City schools chancellor from 2002 to 2011 during the overhaul. Klein said the data shows that the small school effort was worthwhile. He considers it one of his most important accomplishments, along with the expansion of charter schools. Closing large high schools and replacing them with new ones required significant political will, he said, when it sparked resistance from the teachers union. Teachers weren’t guaranteed jobs in the new smaller schools and had to apply again or find another school to hire them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New York wasn’t the only city to try small schools. Baltimore and Oakland, California, among others, also used Gates Foundation money to experiment with the concept. The \u003ca href=\"https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/documents/year4evaluationairsri.pdf\">results\u003c/a> were not encouraging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Klein argues other cities failed to replicate New York’s success because they simply divided large schools into smaller units without building new cultures. In New York, aspiring principals submitted detailed proposals, just like charter schools, and schools opened gradually, adding one grade at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were unintended consequences in New York too. During the transition years between the closure of the old school and the slow ramp-up of the new small schools, seats were limited. Enrollments in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.centernyc.org/collateral-damage/\">remaining large schools\u003c/a> in the city rose. While some students enjoyed the intimacy of the new small schools, many more students suffered overcrowding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether because of political resistance, replication challenges or shifting philanthropic priorities, the small-school movement eventually sputtered out. By the 2010s, would-be reformers had shifted their attention toward evaluating teacher effectiveness and school turnaround strategies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, with enrollment declining in many districts, school consolidation, not expansion, dominates the conversation. MDRC’s Unterman said some districts are now exploring whether elements of the small school model — advisory systems or “schools within schools” — can be recreated inside larger campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By all accounts, New York City’s small schools were a vast improvement over the foundering schools they replaced. A majority remain in operation, a testament to their staying power. However, the evidence they leave behind also underscores a hard truth. Improving high school can move important milestones, like getting more students to go to college. Altering students’ economic trajectories may require more radical change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about small high schools was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Jill Barshay’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66135/when-difference-can-school-size-make-in-a-students-life",
"authors": [
"byline_mindshift_66135"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_21504"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_21974",
"mindshift_20598",
"mindshift_21194"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66136",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
},
"mindshift_66125": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "mindshift_66125",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "66125",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1771004705000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "advice-from-a-friendship-coach-how-to-turn-an-acquaintance-into-a-friend",
"title": "Advice From a Friendship Coach: How to Turn an Acquaintance into a Friend",
"publishDate": 1771004705,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Advice From a Friendship Coach: How to Turn an Acquaintance into a Friend | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 21847,
"site": "mindshift"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Sometimes you meet a person and just know: \u003cem>You. \u003c/em>I want to be friends with\u003cem> you. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conversation flows. They make you laugh. You want to know more about them. So you say, “Hey, we should get together sometime!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.katvellos.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>Kat Vellos\u003c/u>\u003c/a>, author of \u003ca href=\"https://weshouldgettogether.com/book\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>\u003cu>We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships\u003c/u>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, has a better idea. Schedule an \u003cem>actual\u003c/em> time to hang out. “Pull out your calendar, pick a time, pick a thing to do together and follow through,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“‘Sometime’ is vague,” she says. “The more specific you are, the more likely you’re going to get together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If it’s been awhile since you’ve sought out a new friend and you’re feeling a bit rusty, try developing what Vellos calls “friendship intuition.” That means knowing who to prioritize, how to spend time together and what to do if the vibes just aren’t there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a conversation with Life Kit, Vellos shares insights on how to turn a stranger into a friend, based on scientific research and her work as a friendship coach. In that role, she helps people who are having a hard time making friends where they live, and talks to city leaders and urban planners about designing spaces for connection. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Let’s talk about how to spot a friend in the wild. Maybe this is in a community space or a group dinner. How do you know if this person has friend potential? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Notice who you feel warmth with, who you feel safe around. Also notice if they show curiosity about getting to know you more too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not necessarily the most exciting person in the room. They might have a lot of charisma and magnetic charm, but they might not make you feel grounded.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Let’s say you meet someone who seems cool. How might you ask them to hang out? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A common mistake that people make when they’re trying to build a new friendship is they wait too long to see that new acquaintance again. And in that time, the spark can fizzle out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s research about how long it takes to convert an acquaintance into a friend. It comes from the work of \u003ca href=\"https://coms.ku.edu/people/jeffrey-hall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>Jeffrey Hall\u003c/u>\u003c/a>\u003cu>,\u003c/u> [a professor of communication studies] at University of Kansas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He quantified \u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0265407518761225\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>how many hours it takes\u003c/u>\u003c/a> to convert a stranger into a friend: More than 30 for a casual friend. [Those hours] really need to be compressed, preferably in those first several weeks of meeting each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This research confirms what your intuition might say, which is: If you spend a lot of time together when the relationship is new, it’s more likely to stick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lot of times, adults will follow some kind of arbitrary rule that says you can’t hang out two days in a row, or you can’t see somebody more than once a week. Unfortunately, this is why so many friendships fizzle out.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>As for what to do together, you suggest picking an activity that’s memorable. \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Coffee dates are fine. A lot of people default to them for a first date. But coffee is forgettable. It doesn’t feel important. It’s easy to cancel and it doesn’t give you a lot of fodder for conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So pick something that’s a little more interesting. It’s going to amp up the excitement, [and people are more likely] not to cancel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you tell me you’re into knitting, I might be like, “Hey, there’s this exhibit of really cool yarn art. Do you wanna go?” You’re probably more likely to say yes because it’s something you actually care about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s another benefit. \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320082393_Sharing_Extraordinary_Experiences_Fosters_Feelings_of_Closeness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>Researchers at Cornell University\u003c/u>\u003c/a> found that when people who don’t know each other very well do an out-of-the-ordinary experience together, that bonds them a lot faster than doing a run-of-the-mill activity, like just another coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we do something a little unusual, that novelty draws both of your attention and gives you a memory you can have together. [Going to] a classic car show or a vegan food truck festival is going to be a lot more memorable than that latte.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What if you start hanging out and realize you don’t actually like them? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s OK not to take this train all the way to the bestie station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decide if you actually want to stop seeing them, or if you simply want to move them into the outer ring of connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There really are rings. There’s your inner circle. The next ring is friends you might invite to a birthday party. The next ring is [people you’d] be happy to see randomly, but don’t seek out. Then it’s [people] who you’re OK with being strangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Let’s say you do have a new friend. It’s going well. You’ve been out a few times. What are some ways to make the friendship stick? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I often say there’s four seeds of connection: compatibility, frequency, proximity and commitment. I describe this in my book. If these four elements are present, it is more likely that this friendship is going to last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first one is compatibility. Hopefully there’s enough mutual interest and chemistry there that you want to keep going. Then it’s frequency. How often are you seeing each other? Proximity is how much time you can spend in person, face-to-face. How close can you be?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over time, if you’re both committed, you both become dedicated to the friendship.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The story was edited by Meghan Keane. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:LifeKit@npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>LifeKit@npr.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Listen to Life Kit on \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3LdRb0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Apple Podcasts\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3K3xVln\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Spotify\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, and sign up for our \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3xN1tB9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. Follow us on Instagram: \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nprlifekit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>@nprlifekit\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Friendship expert Kat Vellos shares tips on how to make a new friendship stick, including what to do together, how often to hang out — and what to do if the vibes just aren't there. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1771004705,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 28,
"wordCount": 1063
},
"headData": {
"title": "Advice From a Friendship Coach: How to Turn an Acquaintance into a Friend | KQED",
"description": "Friendship expert Kat Vellos shares tips on how to make a new friendship stick, including what to do together, how often to hang out — and what to do if the vibes just aren't there. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Advice From a Friendship Coach: How to Turn an Acquaintance into a Friend",
"datePublished": "2026-02-13T09:45:05-08:00",
"dateModified": "2026-02-13T09:45:05-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 21512,
"slug": "belonging",
"name": "Belonging"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Marielle Segarra and Malaka Gharib",
"nprStoryId": "nx-s1-5667043",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2026/02/12/nx-s1-5667043/make-a-new-friendship-stick",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "2026-02-12T05:00:00-05:00",
"nprStoryDate": "2026-02-12T05:00:00-05:00",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "2026-02-13T11:05:58.834-05:00",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/mindshift/66125/advice-from-a-friendship-coach-how-to-turn-an-acquaintance-into-a-friend",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Sometimes you meet a person and just know: \u003cem>You. \u003c/em>I want to be friends with\u003cem> you. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conversation flows. They make you laugh. You want to know more about them. So you say, “Hey, we should get together sometime!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.katvellos.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>Kat Vellos\u003c/u>\u003c/a>, author of \u003ca href=\"https://weshouldgettogether.com/book\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>\u003cu>We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships\u003c/u>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, has a better idea. Schedule an \u003cem>actual\u003c/em> time to hang out. “Pull out your calendar, pick a time, pick a thing to do together and follow through,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“‘Sometime’ is vague,” she says. “The more specific you are, the more likely you’re going to get together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If it’s been awhile since you’ve sought out a new friend and you’re feeling a bit rusty, try developing what Vellos calls “friendship intuition.” That means knowing who to prioritize, how to spend time together and what to do if the vibes just aren’t there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a conversation with Life Kit, Vellos shares insights on how to turn a stranger into a friend, based on scientific research and her work as a friendship coach. In that role, she helps people who are having a hard time making friends where they live, and talks to city leaders and urban planners about designing spaces for connection. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Let’s talk about how to spot a friend in the wild. Maybe this is in a community space or a group dinner. How do you know if this person has friend potential? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Notice who you feel warmth with, who you feel safe around. Also notice if they show curiosity about getting to know you more too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not necessarily the most exciting person in the room. They might have a lot of charisma and magnetic charm, but they might not make you feel grounded.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Let’s say you meet someone who seems cool. How might you ask them to hang out? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A common mistake that people make when they’re trying to build a new friendship is they wait too long to see that new acquaintance again. And in that time, the spark can fizzle out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s research about how long it takes to convert an acquaintance into a friend. It comes from the work of \u003ca href=\"https://coms.ku.edu/people/jeffrey-hall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>Jeffrey Hall\u003c/u>\u003c/a>\u003cu>,\u003c/u> [a professor of communication studies] at University of Kansas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He quantified \u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0265407518761225\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>how many hours it takes\u003c/u>\u003c/a> to convert a stranger into a friend: More than 30 for a casual friend. [Those hours] really need to be compressed, preferably in those first several weeks of meeting each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This research confirms what your intuition might say, which is: If you spend a lot of time together when the relationship is new, it’s more likely to stick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lot of times, adults will follow some kind of arbitrary rule that says you can’t hang out two days in a row, or you can’t see somebody more than once a week. Unfortunately, this is why so many friendships fizzle out.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>As for what to do together, you suggest picking an activity that’s memorable. \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Coffee dates are fine. A lot of people default to them for a first date. But coffee is forgettable. It doesn’t feel important. It’s easy to cancel and it doesn’t give you a lot of fodder for conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So pick something that’s a little more interesting. It’s going to amp up the excitement, [and people are more likely] not to cancel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you tell me you’re into knitting, I might be like, “Hey, there’s this exhibit of really cool yarn art. Do you wanna go?” You’re probably more likely to say yes because it’s something you actually care about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s another benefit. \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320082393_Sharing_Extraordinary_Experiences_Fosters_Feelings_of_Closeness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>Researchers at Cornell University\u003c/u>\u003c/a> found that when people who don’t know each other very well do an out-of-the-ordinary experience together, that bonds them a lot faster than doing a run-of-the-mill activity, like just another coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we do something a little unusual, that novelty draws both of your attention and gives you a memory you can have together. [Going to] a classic car show or a vegan food truck festival is going to be a lot more memorable than that latte.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What if you start hanging out and realize you don’t actually like them? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s OK not to take this train all the way to the bestie station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decide if you actually want to stop seeing them, or if you simply want to move them into the outer ring of connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There really are rings. There’s your inner circle. The next ring is friends you might invite to a birthday party. The next ring is [people you’d] be happy to see randomly, but don’t seek out. Then it’s [people] who you’re OK with being strangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Let’s say you do have a new friend. It’s going well. You’ve been out a few times. What are some ways to make the friendship stick? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I often say there’s four seeds of connection: compatibility, frequency, proximity and commitment. I describe this in my book. If these four elements are present, it is more likely that this friendship is going to last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first one is compatibility. Hopefully there’s enough mutual interest and chemistry there that you want to keep going. Then it’s frequency. How often are you seeing each other? Proximity is how much time you can spend in person, face-to-face. How close can you be?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over time, if you’re both committed, you both become dedicated to the friendship.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The story was edited by Meghan Keane. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:LifeKit@npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>LifeKit@npr.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Listen to Life Kit on \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3LdRb0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Apple Podcasts\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3K3xVln\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Spotify\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, and sign up for our \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3xN1tB9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. Follow us on Instagram: \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nprlifekit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>@nprlifekit\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/mindshift/66125/advice-from-a-friendship-coach-how-to-turn-an-acquaintance-into-a-friend",
"authors": [
"byline_mindshift_66125"
],
"programs": [
"mindshift_21847"
],
"categories": [
"mindshift_21512"
],
"tags": [
"mindshift_21336"
],
"featImg": "mindshift_66126",
"label": "mindshift_21847"
}
},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "\"KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbmV3cy9jYXRlZ29yeS9iYXktY3VyaW91cy1wb2RjYXN0L2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1MDAyODE4NTgz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "\"KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbmV3cy9zZXJpZXMvamVycnlicm93bi9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qv"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5Nzk2MzI2MTEx",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vc29sZG91dA"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM4MjU5Nzg2MzI3",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM0NTcwODQ2MjY2",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/mindshift?&queryId=5f87eeba8": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 0,
"postsToRender": 10
},
"tag": null,
"vitalsOnly": true,
"totalRequested": 10,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 4137,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"mindshift_66177",
"mindshift_66190",
"mindshift_66171",
"mindshift_66159",
"mindshift_66162",
"mindshift_66155",
"mindshift_66149",
"mindshift_66144",
"mindshift_66135",
"mindshift_66125"
]
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"subscriptionsReducer": {},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift_21847": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21847",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21847",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "MindShift",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "program",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "MindShift Archives - KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21119,
"slug": "mindshift",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/program/mindshift"
},
"mindshift_21512": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21512",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21512",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Belonging",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Belonging Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20784,
"slug": "belonging",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/category/belonging"
},
"mindshift_799": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_799",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "799",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Finland",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Finland Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 802,
"slug": "finland",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/finland"
},
"mindshift_20868": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_20868",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "20868",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Interventions",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Interventions Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20146,
"slug": "interventions",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/interventions"
},
"mindshift_20934": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_20934",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "20934",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "special education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "special education Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20206,
"slug": "special-education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/special-education"
},
"mindshift_21892": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21892",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21892",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education Archives - MindShift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21164,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/interest/education"
},
"mindshift_21504": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21504",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21504",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education research",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education research Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20776,
"slug": "education-research",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/category/education-research"
},
"mindshift_21981": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21981",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21981",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "student loan debt",
"slug": "student-loan-debt",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "student loan debt - KQED Mindshift",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 21253,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/student-loan-debt"
},
"mindshift_21408": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21408",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21408",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "student loans",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "student loans Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20680,
"slug": "student-loans",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/student-loans"
},
"mindshift_20827": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_20827",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "20827",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Motivation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Motivation Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20105,
"slug": "motivation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/category/motivation"
},
"mindshift_21385": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21385",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21385",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Parenting",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Parenting Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20657,
"slug": "parenting",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/category/parenting"
},
"mindshift_20772": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_20772",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "20772",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "intrinsic motivation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "intrinsic motivation Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20049,
"slug": "intrinsic-motivation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/intrinsic-motivation"
},
"mindshift_21920": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21920",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21920",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "kids health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "kids health Archives - KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21192,
"slug": "kids-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/kids-health"
},
"mindshift_20787": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_20787",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "20787",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "marshmallow test",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "marshmallow test Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20064,
"slug": "marshmallow-test",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/marshmallow-test"
},
"mindshift_20649": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_20649",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "20649",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "character",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "character Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19926,
"slug": "character",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/character"
},
"mindshift_21268": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21268",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21268",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "ethics",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "ethics Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20540,
"slug": "ethics",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/ethics"
},
"mindshift_21246": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21246",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21246",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "school sports",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "school sports Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20518,
"slug": "school-sports",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/school-sports"
},
"mindshift_21651": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21651",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21651",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "youth sports",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "youth sports Archives - KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20923,
"slug": "youth-sports",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/youth-sports"
},
"mindshift_29": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_29",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "29",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Department of Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Department of Education Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 29,
"slug": "department-of-education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/department-of-education"
},
"mindshift_21963": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21963",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21963",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Institute of Education Sciences",
"slug": "institute-of-education-sciences",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Institute of Education Sciences - KQED Mindshift",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 21235,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/institute-of-education-sciences"
},
"mindshift_195": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_195",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "195",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Digital Tools",
"description": "How devices, software, and the Internet are changing the classroom dynamic.",
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "How devices, software, and the Internet are changing the classroom dynamic.",
"title": "Digital Tools Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 195,
"slug": "digital-tools",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/category/digital-tools"
},
"mindshift_1023": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_1023",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "1023",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "artificial intelligence",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "artificial intelligence Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1028,
"slug": "artificial-intelligence",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/artificial-intelligence"
},
"mindshift_739": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_739",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "739",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "cheating",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "cheating Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 742,
"slug": "cheating",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/cheating"
},
"mindshift_21933": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21933",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21933",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "college education",
"slug": "college-education",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "college education Archives - KQED Mindshift",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 21205,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/college-education"
},
"mindshift_851": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_851",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "851",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "writing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "writing Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 854,
"slug": "writing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/writing"
},
"mindshift_193": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_193",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "193",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Teaching Strategies",
"description": "Innovative ideas - projects, processes, curricula, and more - that are transforming how we teach and learn.",
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Innovative ideas - projects, processes, curricula, and more - that are transforming how we teach and learn.",
"title": "Teaching Strategies Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 193,
"slug": "teaching-strategies",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/category/teaching-strategies"
},
"mindshift_21669": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21669",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21669",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "behavioral health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "behavioral health Archives - KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20941,
"slug": "behavioral-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/behavioral-health"
},
"mindshift_20725": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_20725",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "20725",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "study habits",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "study habits Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20002,
"slug": "study-habits",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/study-habits"
},
"mindshift_21159": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21159",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21159",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "teenage brain",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "teenage brain Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20431,
"slug": "teenage-brain",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/teenage-brain"
},
"mindshift_21482": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21482",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21482",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Grades",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Grades Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20754,
"slug": "grades",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/category/grades"
},
"mindshift_21789": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21789",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21789",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "grade inflation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "grade inflation Archives - KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21061,
"slug": "grade-inflation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/grade-inflation"
},
"mindshift_21110": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21110",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21110",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "grades",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "grades Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20382,
"slug": "grades",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/grades"
},
"mindshift_883": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_883",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "883",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "standardized tests",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "standardized tests Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 886,
"slug": "standardized-tests",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/standardized-tests"
},
"mindshift_21974": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21974",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21974",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "college completion",
"slug": "college-completion",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "college completion - KQED Mindshift",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 21246,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/college-completion"
},
"mindshift_20598": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_20598",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "20598",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "education reform",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "education reform Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19875,
"slug": "education-reform",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/education-reform"
},
"mindshift_21194": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21194",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21194",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "small learning communities",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "small learning communities Archives | KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20466,
"slug": "small-learning-communities",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/small-learning-communities"
},
"mindshift_21336": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift_21336",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "mindshift",
"id": "21336",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "friendships",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "friendships Archives - KQED Mindshift",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20608,
"slug": "friendships",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/mindshift/tag/friendships"
}
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"localStorageReducer": {},
"browserHistoryReducer": [],
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"location": {
"pathname": "/newsletters/mindshift",
"previousPathname": "/"
}
}