PEP (Public Education Policy) Talk: An AASA Podcast

PEP Talk Episode 16 Lead in Schools

This Week's Episode of PEP Talk features John Rumpler, Clean Water Program Director at Environment America and AASA Policy Analyst Chris Rogers. In this episode, viewers will get a chance to hear our conversation about the newly announced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Lead and Copper Rule and its impact on school districts. Specifically, John and I delve into the prevalence of Lead in public school water systems, the difficulties of testing for leads, and steps LEAs can take to solve the problem.

PEP Talk Episode 15: Healthy Schools Campaign

We're back with the latest episode of PEP Talk- AASA's policy podcast. This week's episode features a conversation between Alex Mays, Senior National Program Director Director for the Healthy Schools Campaign and AASA Advocacy Director Sasha Pudelski. Alex discusses the important work that the Healthy Schools Campaign is doing with district leaders as part of the Healthy Students Promising Future Learning Collaborative and in particular, what's happening in States that are pursuing opportunities to expand healthcare services for children. Check out our discussion to get the latest developments on what's happening at the federal and state level in terms of Medicaid as well as how the Healthy Schools Campaign is helping districts reduce chronic absenteeism. 

 

 

PEP Talk Episode 14 Crystal FitzSimons

We're back with the latest episode of PEP Talk, AASA's policy podcast. This week's episode features a conversation between Crystal FitzSimons, Director of School and Out-of-School Time Programs at the Food Research and Action Committee (FRAC) and AASA Policy Analyst Chris Rogers. In her current role, Crystal directs FRAC's work on the child nutrition programs that serve school-age children; and is responsible for advocating for legislative and regulatory improvements to the federal child nutrition programs. Check out our discussion to get the latest developments on the Categorical Eligibility program and hear updates from the Hill on Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

PEP Talk Episode 13: Donors Choose

AASA's Noelle Ellerson Ng talks with Katie Bisbee and Anna Edwards of Donors Choose, touching on crowd funding, what it means for schools, classrooms, and students, and ways our organizations are partnering to highlight the opportunities for using platforms like Donors Choose strategically within districts. 

PEP Talk Episode 12: Sunil Mansukhani & Philip Tegeler

Getting a little wonkier, this episode of PEP Talk unpacks a seemingly arcane provision in federal policy that limits the ability of school districts to better address integration. AASA's Noelle Ellerson Ng talks with  Sunil Mansukhani & Philip Tegeler about this outdated anti-busing policy, a policy that exists today merely because it hadn’t been replaced. It's something we've been collaborating on for a few years, but something that also saw a resurgence after a related issue arose in recent presidential politics. 

PEP Talk Episode 11: Carl Davis

Longtime AASA friend Carl Davis, Research Director at Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, talked with Noelle Ellerson Ng all about the updated regulations released by the IRS, related to the tuition tax credit loop hole. 

PEP Talk Episode 10: National Coalition for Public Education's NCPE

When it comes to being the top coalition for protecting and prioritizing the importance of public education at the federal level, and advocating against privatization agendas, there is no better or more effective coalition than the National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE). In this episode, AASA's Sasha Pudelski (an NCPE Co-Chair) chats with her fellow co-chair, Maggie Garrett with Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. 

PEP Talk Episode 9: Education and Rural Advocate John Forkenbrock

John Forkenbrock is a longtime AASA friend, making a career out of education policy and advocacy. His passion for strong public schools and rural education was central to his time on Capitol Hill and in education associations. Currently serving as a leader with Organizations Concerned with Rural Education (OCRE), John was previously the executive director for the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS). In this episode, he chats with AASA's Noelle Ellerson Ng, and the conversation is as filled with policy insights as it is with colorful stories from an accomplished education career.

PEP Talk Episode 8: Edu-nomics Professor Bruce Baker

AASA's Noelle Ellerson Ng chats with Professor Bruce Baker, the dynamo behind @SchlFinance101 and one of the AASA advocacy team's favorite people to talk to when it comes to school finance and education funding formulas. In this episode, we focus on his most recent paper, one that takes a fresh--and also understandable and approachable--analysis of all 50 state funding formulas. Professor Baker works at Rutgers University specializing in school finance, education policy & quantitative analysis.

PEP Talk Episode 7: Education and Economics Professor Nora Gordon

Let's talk education and #Census2020! In this episode, AASA's Noelle Ellerson Ng talks with Georgetown Professor Nora Gordon, looking at exactly why Census 2020 matters to schools, what response rate and accurate count can mean to schools and communities, and starts to look at what superintendents can do.