New season of GreatSchools.org’s parenting podcast confronts the problematic legacy of traditional American high school

Season three of “Like a Sponge” shares the experiences of students and educators from across the country

OAKLAND, CA (October 12, 2021) — Education nonprofit GreatSchools today announced the release of season three of Like a Sponge, its Webby-nominated podcast for parents about the science of how children learn and thrive. The 7-episode season explores the problematic legacy of the traditional American high school and shares how educators are innovating to create more equitable and effective experiences for their students.

Season three is a part of GreatSchools’ new Transforming High School series, a collection of stories and videos in English and Spanish that explore practices that prepare students for success in college and beyond. Each episode delves into a single problem with high school through the eyes of a student and a high school that is attempting to solve that problem. Expert guests and educators featured this season include:

• • • Jal Mehta, PhD, Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
    • Todd Rose, EdD, Author of The End of Average
    • Kyle Steele, PhD, Professor, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Education and Human Services
    • Educators from high-performing and innovative high schools in Loganville, GA; Salem, MA; Tarboro, NC; Philadelphia, PA; Providence, RI; Brownsville, TX; El Paso, TX; and La Joya, TX.

“Whether it’s a school coming face to face with its unintentionally racist policies or a radical rethinking of teenage learning that enables students to redesign their school from scratch, the stories we share this season offer a dose of hope salted with skepticism and data,” said host and co-producer Carol Lloyd.

Since its inception, Like a Sponge episodes have been downloaded over 57,000 times by parents, caregivers, and educators across the country. In 2020, the show received two nominations for Best Science & Education Podcast in the 25th Annual Webby Awards, placing it in the top 10% of the nearly 13,500 projects entered from around the world.

Listeners can tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. Like a Sponge is distributed by Public Radio Exchange (PRX). The Transforming High School project and podcast are made possible in part with support from the Barr Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Like a Sponge is produced by GreatSchools’ Carol Lloyd, whose writing has been published/broadcast in The New York Times Magazine, EdWeek, Mother Jones, Salon, the Los Angeles Times, and on This American Life, and Jessica Yarmosky, public radio producer and former high school teacher.

In addition to Like a Sponge, GreatSchools also offers parents free resources to support the academic and social emotional development of their children, including articles, worksheets, videos, grade-by-grade newsletters in English and Spanish, and information about every K-12 school in the nation. Every year, approximately 46 million parents and educators utilize GreatSchools content to support student learning. As families continue to navigate pandemic disruptions in their child’s learning, GreatSchools’ school closure learning guide (in English and Spanish) provides grade-based tools and guidance for learning at home. GreatSchools experts are available for media interviews. For more information about GreatSchools’ parenting resources visit www.greatschools.org/gk/grade-by-grade-newsletter/.

###

---

About GreatSchools:

GreatSchools is the leading national nonprofit empowering parents with essential information to improve educational opportunities for their child. We are the only national organization that collects and analyzes data from all 51 state departments of education and the federal government to provide analysis, insights, and school quality ratings for parents, partners, researchers, and policymakers. Over 46 million users visit GreatSchools’ award-winning website annually to learn about schools in their area, explore research insights, and access thousands of free, evidence-based parenting resources to support their child’s learning and well-being. Learn more at GreatSchools.org and join us on Twitter and Facebook.