The Report Card with Nat Malkus podcast

The Report Card with Nat Malkus

The Report Card with Nat Malkus is the education podcast of the American Enterprise Institute. It is a hub for discussing innovative work to improve education – from early childhood to higher education – and the lives of America’s children. It evaluates research, policy, and practice efforts to improve the lives of families, schools and students. The Report Card seeks to engage with everyone who is interested in education in an accessible way. It brings guests that are doing compelling work across a spectrum from high level policy changes to innovations at the classroom level, work that will start conversations about improving education and the lives of children more broadly. Each episode lets listeners – policymakers, teachers, and parents –learn relevant information that they can use in their efforts to improve education.

The Report Card with Nat Malkus is the education podcast of the American Enterprise Institute. It is a hub for discussing innovative work to improve education – from early childhood to higher education – and the lives of America’s children. It evaluates research, policy, and practice efforts to improve the lives of families, schools and students. The Report Card seeks to engage with everyone who is interested in education in an accessible way. It brings guests that are doing compelling work across a spectrum from high level policy changes to innovations at the classroom level, work that will start conversations about improving education and the lives of children more broadly. Each episode lets listeners – policymakers, teachers, and parents –learn relevant information that they can use in their efforts to improve education.

 

#180

The Effects of Grade Inflation (with Jeff Denning)

Recently, there has been a lot of handwringing over grade inflation both at the higher edu... more

25 Mar 2026

44 MINS

44:31

25 Mar 2026


#179

Mathematical Flexibility and Teaching Middle School Math (with Jon Star)

Math is one of the subjects that gets the most attention in American education, but how we... more

11 Mar 2026

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:37

11 Mar 2026


#178

Lee Bollinger on Universities and the Trump Administration

Over the past year, the Trump administration has rewritten the playbook for how Washington... more

25 Feb 2026

1 HR 21 MINS

1:21:38

25 Feb 2026


#177

The Making of America’s Schools: From Revolution to Civil War (with Johann Neem)

To commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, [The Report Card] (https://www.aei.org/tag/the... more

11 Feb 2026

1 HR 13 MINS

1:13:08

11 Feb 2026


#176

Randi Weingarten on the Teaching Profession

On the right, teachers’ unions are often treated as the bogeyman, and no one today is more... more

28 Jan 2026

1 HR 27 MINS

1:27:28

28 Jan 2026


#175

Math Academy (with Jason Roberts and Justin Skycak)

Can students learn math much faster than they typically do? Can students who feel like the... more

14 Jan 2026

1 HR 20 MINS

1:20:26

14 Jan 2026


#174

2025 in Review

We are now coming to the end of another year. What were the biggest stories in education t... more

30 Dec 2025

47 MINS

47:50

30 Dec 2025


#173

Should AI Be Used in Classrooms Today?

In classrooms across the nation, students and teachers are using AI—but should they be? AI... more

17 Dec 2025

1 HR 22 MINS

1:22:18

17 Dec 2025


#172

Alpha School (with MacKenzie Price)

One of the hottest names in education right now is [Alpha School] (https://alpha.school/) ... more

03 Dec 2025

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:32

03 Dec 2025


#171

Education and the Second Trump Administration, 303 Days In

On this episode of [The Report Card] (https://www.aei.org/tag/the-report-card-podcast) , [... more

19 Nov 2025

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:33

19 Nov 2025


#170

Lessons from Pandemic-Era Tutoring (with Liz Cohen)

For decades, there has been research showing that tutoring can be a highly effective mode ... more

05 Nov 2025

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:40

05 Nov 2025


#169

Houston, We Have a Solution (with Mike Miles)

In August 2023, right after he took over as superintendent of Houston ISD, Mike Miles came... more

22 Oct 2025

58 MINS

58:35

22 Oct 2025


#168

Do Phones Make Students Less Able to Focus? (with Dan Willingham)

TikTok. Instagram. Constant notifications. Many worry that phones are destroying students’... more

06 Oct 2025

58 MINS

58:28

06 Oct 2025


#167

Why Are Test Scores Falling? (with James Wyckoff and Chad Aldeman)

Earlier this month, 2024 NAEP scores came out for 8th grade science and 12th grade reading... more

24 Sep 2025

1 HR 14 MINS

1:14:01

24 Sep 2025


#166

Education and the Second Trump Administration, 233 Days In

A lot has happened in education over the last couple of months. A new school year started ... more

10 Sep 2025

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:50

10 Sep 2025


#165

The Competitive Effects of School Choice (with Sarah Cordes)

Many school choice proponents today focus on what choice does for the students who use it ... more

27 Aug 2025

54 MINS

54:22

27 Aug 2025


#164

Adult Interests vs. Student Needs (with Vlad Kogan)

Over the past decade, schools increasingly have become a battleground for political fights... more

13 Aug 2025

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:49

13 Aug 2025


#163

AI Lessons from Nigeria (with Martín De Simone)

Some say AI is the future of education, but there are reasons for skepticism, especially i... more

30 Jul 2025

55 MINS

55:19

30 Jul 2025


#162

Education and the Second Trump Administration, 177 Days In

A lot has happened in education over the last few weeks. Among other things, Congress pass... more

16 Jul 2025

1 HR 00 MINS

1:00:11

16 Jul 2025


#161

Big Changes to Student Lending in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (with Preston Cooper)

About one month ago, the House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a massive bill aimed... more

25 Jun 2025

59 MINS

59:58

25 Jun 2025