Hungry for a new listen? Our podcast recommendations are all related to issues of educational inequity and how it is intertwined with many other challenges our society faces. Hear from those who experience the issue first-hand and those working to address the issues, including educational experts, researchers, students, and members of the Teach For America network.

Code Switch

Entire Series

This podcast explores a variety of issues related to race and culture, and often explores the intersection of race and education. Topics have included affirmative action, school desegregation, and the juvenile justice system. Episodes we recommend are, “Is Ron Brown High School Working?,” “Word Up,” and “Can We Talk About Whiteness?”

This American Life

Episode: “The Problem We All Live With” Part 1 and Part 2

One This American Life reporter shares details of her experiences of reporting on school integration, and how some communities—particularly the Normandy School District outside St. Louis, where Michael Brown attended high school—respond to these efforts.

This American Life

Episode: “3 Miles”

Teachers from two very different schools in New York City, one small public school in the South Bronx, and one elite private school that sits on 18 acres in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, share about an exchange program between their students. Hear the students’ reactions to the program, and how their high school experiences impacted their futures.

How I Built this With Guy Raz

Episode: “Teach For America - Wendy Kopp”

In an intimate conversation with the founder of Teach For America, you can hear about the highs and lows of TFA’s early days in the 1990s. Listen to Wendy Kopp’s initial motivations for launching TFA as a college senior, and how all of her hard work has paid off.

Pod Save the People

Entire Series

DeRay Mckesson, a New York 2007 alum of Teach For America, interviews politicians, authors, celebrities, and others about social justice issues. Along with other TFA alumni, including Brittany Packnett (D.C. Region ’07), Mckesson also offers reflections on weekly news topics. We recommend starting with the “American Do-Over” and “If You Believe in Justice” episodes.starting

Revisionist History

Episodes: “Carlos Doesn't Remember” and “Food Fight”

Hosted by Malcolm Gladwell, Revisionist History explores a multitude of historical and societal issues. “Carlos Doesn’t Remember” tells the story of a low-income student from Los Angeles who got a scholarship to an elite private school. In “Food Fight,” Gladwell explores how issues like the opportunity gap and financing higher education play out in college dining halls.

The Bell

Entire Series

High school student voices dominate in this podcast about New York City’s school system. Hosted by Taylor McGraw (New York ’12), this podcast aims to provide reflections and ideas on how to move New York City closer to its vision of equity and excellence for all children.

The Through Line

Entire Series

The Through Line poses questions like, “In a world changing as rapidly as ours, are we equipping kids with the tools needed for success?” Hosted by the head of Teach For America Colorado, local educators, students, and education advocates speak about the purpose of education and their visions for Colorado’s students. Read more about The Through Line.