Today we explore tax cuts as a form of government expenditure and what that means for social inequality, politics, and government services. My guest is Melinda Cooper.

Melinda Cooper is a professor in the School of Sociology in the Colelge of Arts & Social Sciences at the Australian National University. Her newest book is Counterrevolution: Extravagance and Austerity in Public Finance (Zone Books/Princeton University Press, 2024) . I spoke with Melinda in front of a live audience at the Manning Clark House in Canberra for the second part of an event called Taxing Times. I’d like to thank Claire Manning and Luciana Todd for organizing and hosting this event.

freshedpodcast.com/cooper
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FreshEd #402 – What do tax cuts really mean?  (Melinda Cooper)

As industries evolve and the skills gap widens, the question remains: How can we better connect education to employment? 


In this episode of The Idea Spark, host Carl Hooker welcomes Jennifer Wilkerson, VP of Innovations and Advancements at NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research), and Andy Dunaway, Product Manager, Career Connected Learning at Pearson. Together, they explore how credentialing, industry alignment, and strong partnerships help students move from the classroom to meaningful careers. Using construction as a lens, this conversation highlights scalable strategies for building career-ready pathways across CTE programs and beyond.


This week's episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by Pearson, NCCER, and the EdSurge Solutions Studio team.

Career Readiness in the Real World

FreshEd is celebrating its 10th birthday on October 18 and you're invited! Sign up here:  https://freshedpodcast.com/10years/
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Today we explore scholarly podcasting: what it is and why it matters. With me is Ian M. Cook, who has recently published the book Scholarly Podcasting: Why, What, How?

Ian M. Cook is Editor and Chief at Allegra Lab. He is an anthropologist whose work focus includes urban India, scholarly podcasting, open education, and environmental (in)justice.

Correction: In the episode, we say we will play a clip from Vincent Racaniello but the clip played is actually from Michael Bossetta.


FreshEd #317 - Scholarly Podcasting (Ian M. Cook)

Today we explore the financialization of early childhood education and what it means for the welfare state. My guest is Ben Spies-Butcher.

Ben Spies Butcher is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication, Society and Culture at Macquarie University. His latest book Politics, Inequality and the Australian Welfare State after Liberalisation. 

freshedpodcast.com/spies-butcher
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FreshEd #403 – Financialization of Early Childhood Education (Ben Spies-Butcher)

Today we unpack the trend of micro-credentials in universities. My guest is Leesa Wheelahan who connects micro-credentials to the gig economy and discusses their implications for higher education credentials and qualifications.

Leesa Wheelahan is professor emerita at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She is also an honorary research fellow at the Department of Education at the University of Oxford and a Honorary Senior Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne. 

She’s recently co-written with Gavin Moodie two articles: Gig Qualifications for the Gig Economy: Micro-credentials and the hungry mile and Revisiting Credentialism – Why qualifications matter: A theoretical exploration.

https://freshedpodcast.com/leesa-wheelahan/
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FreshEd #404 – Micro-Credentials and the Gig Economy (Leesa Wheelahan)

In today’s conversation, we’ll explore how strategic planning can serve as a catalyst for growth and improvement. We’ll look at how it engages diverse stakeholders, fosters transparency and helps school boards make more informed, aligned decisions. We’ll also discuss how setting clear priorities and long-term goals can strengthen governance and drive impactful, system-wide change.

Whether your district is just beginning the planning process or looking to revisit and refresh its goals, this episode offers valuable insights on how to turn vision into reality—and build a strong foundation for a successful future.

Host:
Ann Laszewski, Leadership Development Manager, NYSSBA

Guests:
Dr. Lance Lohman, Superintendent, Longwood Central School District
Victoria Molloy, Board President, Longwood Central School District

Need help with your district’s strategic plan? Schedule your Custom Board Retreat today! For more information contact ellen.kramek@nyssba.org. 

Have a question or a topic idea? We want to hear from you! Email us at ld@nyssba.org.

Stock media provided by www.pond5.com

Transforming Vision into Reality – Building a Road Map to Success

Ten years ago, on October 26, 2015, something special began in Japan. While working at the University of Tokyo, I launched the first episode of the FreshEd podcast, marking the start of what would become a cornerstone of conversations in comparative and international education. 
Over the past decade, FreshEd has grown into a global platform – far larger than I ever imaged -- connecting listeners interested in education, equity, and social change. We’ve made over 400 episodes in that time. We’ve counted 200 universities that use our content and we have listeners, like you, in over 180 countries. 

To celebrate our anniversary, we held a live event at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan as part of the 2025 International Education Development Forum. I’ve like to thank Dr. Jing Liu for co-organizing this event. 

Joining me on stage were Professors Iveta Silova and Yuto Kitamura, who are both board members of FreshEd. In our conversation, we take you behind the scenes of FreshEd’s development and reflect on what the podcast means for the wider field specifically and higher education generally. On a personal note, Iveta and Yuto are both mentors who have shaped my own career as an academic. So today we’ll air the conversation we had in Tohoku on October 18. I hope you enjoy the show and here’s to the second decade of FreshEd. 

 https://freshedpodcast.com/10years/

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FreshEd #405 - 10th Anniversary Special (Iveta Silova, Yuto Kitamura & Will Brehm)

Today we dive into the field of education in emergencies, highlighting its entanglements with colonialism, empire, and racial capitalism. My guest is Jess Oddy.

Jess Oddy is a researcher at the university of Bristol and has worked in various capacities in the field of education in emergencies. Her new article is “Retelling education in emergencies through the black radical tradition: on racial capitalism critical race theory and fugitivity,” which was published in Globalisation, Societies and Education.

Citation: Oddy, Jess with Will Brehm, FreshEd, 344, podcast audio, March 4, 2024. https://freshedpodcast.com/oddy/
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FreshEd #344 – Critiquing Education in Emergencies (Jessica Oddy)

Today we explore foundational learning in low and middle income countries. My guest is Michelle Kaffenberger. 

Michelle Kaffenberger is the Director of evidence translation at the What Works Hub for Global Education the University of Oxford. I Spoke with her on the sidelines of the Development and Education Conference (DevEd) held in Melbourne, Australia last week. 

https://freshedpodcast.com/kaffenberger/

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FreshEd #406 – Prioritizing and Improving Foundational Learning (Michelle Kaffenberger)

Schools that produce and use relatively equal amounts of energy are called net zero schools. Listen to learn more.

Getting to Net Zero

Put down the books. Grab your earbuds! Take a short study break with the New York State School Boards Association and hear about the latest, and greatest, in education research.

Getting to Net Zero

NYSSBA's Study Break