Testing America's Freedom

Want a deep dive into the history of equity and public schooling in the U.S.? Education policy expert and former elementary school principal Dr. Aaliyah Samuel is your guide through revealing discussions with education experts across the US examining the history of race and education. Topics include impacts of desegregation, school funding, testing, curriculum, and much more. Subscribe for a one-of-a-kind look at the problems and possibilities of education in America. Covering history from the 1950's through now, Testing America’s Freedom looks at policies put in place to perpetuate inequities based on race as well as discussing urgent solutions needed for schools and students in the wake of COVID19. The first episode features Dr. Samuel’s moving introduction to the topic, including her life-changing meeting with Civil Rights hero Minnijean Brown-Trickey and a look at a devastating artifact of racial prejudice, the Charlottesville Letter. The series concludes with an inspiring conversation with a group of student leaders from two different states.This limited podcast series was produced by NWEA, a leader in education research and pioneer in adaptive assessments. To find out more about our work, visit nwea.org.

Podcasting since 2020 • 5 episodes

Testing America's Freedom

Latest Episodes

Paving the way for an equitable future—words of wisdom from the next generation of leaders (Ep. 5)

Our journey concludes with a look towards the future: an inspiring conversation with a group of youth activists who tell their stories and establish a visionary call to action for education leaders and policymakers across the country. We talk t...

September 28, 2020 • Season 1 • Episode 5 • 1:31:26

The missing summative—what does it mean for the future of assessment?  (Ep. 4)

Our education system is at an inflection point, and as COVID-19 makes us reconsider the best ways to teach students, we must also consider how assessment and accountability need to shift toward a more modern structure. Dr. Samuel speaks with Th...

September 28, 2020 • Season 1 • Episode 4 • 54:03

What’s race got to do with it? Everything. (Ep. 3)

The truth about education in this country can be hard to stomach. In this episode, we go on a journey through the history of education policy in the United States, challenging beliefs about teachers of color and the outcomes of students of colo...

September 28, 2020 • Season 1 • Episode 3 • 1:13:58

School funding—the real challenge in achieving educational equity (Ep. 2)

No two schools are the same, and the root of their differences is unequal funding, altering the outcomes and life trajectories for many students—particularly those of color—for generations. Dr. Samuel speaks to Jason Willis from the Comprehensi...

September 28, 2020 • Season 1 • Episode 2 • 1:05:37