Claim OwnershipPEP (Public Education Policy) Talk: An AASA Podcast
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PEP Talk is a monthly podcast from AASA, The School Superintendents Association, spotlighting public school superintendents, policy makers, researchers and more to help you get engaged in education policy in new ways.
42 Episodes
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On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant catches up with Amelia Vance, founder and president of the Public Interest Privacy Center who staffs the AASA Student and Child Privacy Center, to discuss recent legislative developments on Capitol Hill related to student and child privacy bills and the role of AI in schools.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant interviews two of the authors of AASA's new report Rethinking Special Education Dispute Resolution at IDEA’s 50th Anniversary. Angela L. Balsley, Ed.D., founder of Unified Leadership and David Bateman, PhD., answer questions about what dispute resolution reforms could look like in 5 - 10 years and why this report is important and timely.
To read the full report, please check it out here.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant chats with AASA's senior government affairs manager Tara Thomas about the proposed changes to the H-1B Visa program, a key tool some districts use to alleviate staffing shortages for teaching positions. Kat also spoke with Tobin Novasio, superintendent of Hardin Schools in Montana, about how the proposed changes would affect his district.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this podcast, Tara mistakenly stated that the fee was not currently active due to the court challenge. An injunction has been requested, but not yet provided by the court. As of October 24, 2025 the fee is applicable.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant speaks with Quincy Natay, superintendent of Chinle Unified School District #24 in Chinle, AZ about the critical need of Impact Aid funding, the nation’s oldest federal K-12 education program that turns 75 this year.
The Basics of Impact Aid booklet
Impact Aid Overview One-Pager
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant interviews superintendents from around the country about how they advocate for public education not only for their schools, but also for their communities and families, and asks if they have advice for others looking to get involved.
The featured superintendents are:
Wendy Birhanzel, superintendent, Harrison School District Two, CO
Quintin Shepherd, superintendent, Pflugerville Independent School District, TX
Sharonica Hardin-Bartley, superintendent, University City School District, MO
Stephanie Burroughs, assistant superintendent, Foxborough Public School District, MA
What’s at stake for K-12 schools at the U.S. Supreme Court? Kat Sturdevant interviews Sonja Trainor, executive director of the National School Attorneys Association, to break down the key education cases on the docket and what they could mean for educators, students, and school leaders across the country.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant is joined by Jessie Mandle, National Program Director of the Healthy Schools Campaign, to deep dive the Campaign's new report about how Medicaid cuts will significantly affect schools and students (released in partnership with AASA).
The report, How Medicaid Cuts Will Harm Students & Schools, can be found here.
The resource Jessie mentioned from the Georgetown Center for Children and Families on Medicaid/CHIP Coverage by School Districts, 2019-2023 can be found here.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant gets a much anticipated update from Sasha Pudelski, AASA's Director of Advocacy on where the school voucher movement currently stands in the 119th Congress, U.S. Department of Education, and beyond in a new year and a new administration.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Noelle Ellerson Ng interviews Dr. Rachel S. White, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin College of Education about a new report from The Superintendent Lab about the cost of divisive conflicts and and how school districts and superintendents are affected.
The Superintendent Lab was founded by Dr. White and her report can be found here. Featured blog post on The Leading Edge Blog about this report can be found here.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant gets into the weeds on the current saga of the FCC's Universal Service Fund and E-Rate with Jon Bernstein, an education technology and telecommunications lobbyist and president of Bernstein Strategy Group.
You can read EdLiNC's letters to the 5th Circuit Court here and the ruling here.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant deep dives the role of education in the 2024 presidential election with Jonathan Voss, partner at Lake Research Partners, a national public opinion and political strategy research firm.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant discusses the newest edition of the American Rescue Plan Report with Sasha Pudelski, Director of Advocacy at AASA, just in time for the ESSER obligation deadline.
You can check out the full report here.
Check out our blog post on the report here.
On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant interviews Holly McIntush, partner at Thompson & Horton LLP and Jackie Gharapour Wernz, partner at ECR Solutions LLC, two powerhouse Title IX experts about the recently released Title IX regulations. They cover everything from the changes since 2020, implementation, and litigations popping up in states.
You can find excellent Title IX resources from AASA here.
You can also check out blog posts written by Jackie Wernz on the "Civil Rights Insights" blog here and here.
You can register for the Thompson & Horton webinar series on Title IX here.
On this episode of PEP Talk, Kat Sturdevant welcomes back Tara Thomas, AASA policy analyst, to discuss the changes and updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the school nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
You can read our companion blog summary here.
On this episode of PEP Talk, Kat Sturdevant interviews Jessica Levin, litigation director at the Education Law Center about the ongoing litigations about school voucher programs in states, and the rhetoric proponents use to justify the transfer of public funds to private institutions.
Check out these resources for ways you can fight back against vouchers in your state:
Public Funds, Public Schools Campaign Website
Public Funds, Public Schools Bill Tracker
Public Schools, Public Funds Fact Sheet - Myth of Cost Savings from Vouchers
Public Schools, Public Funds Fact Sheet - True Cost of Vouchers
Public Schools, Public Funds Litigation Page
Public Schools, Public Funds Report - The Fiscal Consequences of Private Schools Vouchers
National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE) Toolkit For State Legislators and Advocates
National Coalition for Public Education Social Media Graphics
On this episode of PEP Talk, Kat Sturdevant interviews Nora Gordon, professor, McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University about all things Title I; what it is, how it's funded, and who it benefits. We have a host of reports to check out with this episode, too!
All4Ed's Report- Title I of ESEA: How the Formulas Work
All4Ed's Report- Title I of ESEA: How the Formulas Benefit Different Types of School Districts
U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Guidance
National Center for Education Statistics Study of the Title I, Part A Grant Program Mathematical Formulas
On this episode of PEP Talk, producer Kat Sturdevant interviews Dr. Rachel S. White, assistant professor of educational leadership & policy studies at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville about the rising trends of attrition, mobility and the increasing role of gender in the superintendency profession. You can check out Dr. White's data on The Superintendent Lab.
On this episode of PEP Talk, producer Kat Sturdevant and policy analyst Tara Thomas continue their conversation on rural schools, but this time with a focus on the Secure Rural Schools Program. Tara Thomas interviews Jaime Green, superintendent of Trinity Alps Unified School District in Weaverville, CA who is a passionate advocate for the program.
On this special episode of PEP Talk, producer Kat Sturdevant interviews AASA policy analyst Tara Thomas all about rural schools and the findings in the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) Survey Report released on November 15, 2023.
Check out the report here.
AASA's Advocacy team interviews Amelia Vance, chief counsel, and Morgan Leftwich, project director from AASA's Student & Child Privacy Center to get us up to speed about current privacy laws, the landscape, and more!
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