K12 Education

Confessions of a School Reformer with Author Dr. Larry Cuban

Larry Cuban is Professor Emeritus in Education at Stanford University. He recently wrote Confessions of a School Reformer, an educational history and personal memoir of his life that begins with his childhood in school in Pittsburgh, then proceeds through his years as a teacher and school administrator, and concludes with his thoughts on the present day.

Larry joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about his 87 years of experience with education beginning in the Progressive Era, proceeding through the Civil Rights Movement, and concluding in the present day where the Standards-Based Reform movement continues to predominate. Larry provides advice to educators, administrators and school reformers, reminding us that change tends to come slowly in schools since generally speaking they are conservative institutions. Larry encourages us to focus on the direct impact of educators on students in the classroom and to understand the history of school reform and educational policy to help navigate the challenges and complexities of the current educational landscape.

It’s a wise and informed conversation about how change happens in schools in the US that you won’t want to miss.

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Episode References

Cuban, L. (2021). Confessions of a School Reformer. Harvard Education Press. https://www.hepg.org/hep-home/books/confessions-of-a-school-reformer