logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2020
49m 37s

431. Why Can’t Schools Get What the N.F....

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

Thanks to daily Covid testing and regimented protocols, the new football season is underway. Meanwhile, most teachers, students, and parents are essentially waiting for the storm to pass. And school isn’t even a contact sport (usually).

Up next
Today
Extra: A Modern Whaler Speaks Up (Update)
Bjørn Andersen has killed hundreds of minke whales. He tells us how he does it, why he does it, and what he thinks would happen if whale-hunting ever stopped. (This bonus episode is a follow-up to our series “Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.”) SOURCES:Bjørn Andersen, Norw ... Show More
26m 47s
Aug 22
What Can Whales Teach Us About Clean Energy, Workplace Harmony, and Living the Good Life? (Update)
In the final episode of our whale series, we learn about fecal plumes, shipping noise, and why Moby-Dick is still worth reading. (Part 3 of "Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.") SOURCES:Michele Baggio, professor of economics at the University of Connecticut.Mary K. Bercaw-E ... Show More
48m 8s
Aug 15
Why Do People Still Hunt Whales? (Update)
For years, whale oil was used as lighting fuel, industrial lubricant, and the main ingredient in (yum!) margarine. Whale meat was also on a few menus. But today, demand for whale products is at a historic low. And yet some countries still have a whaling industry. We find out why. ... Show More
37m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2020
School Is Off To A Slow Start, And It's Going To Be A Long Year
With Labor Day weekend gone, summer is unofficially over — and millions of children head back to school this week, many virtually. Two teachers — Rosie Reid in California and Lynette Stant in Arizona — share how things are going in their schools so far. Many states have decided t ... Show More
12m 22s
Jan 2022
Amid Covid Surge, Students And Teachers Want To Be Heard
In Florida and Virginia, Governors Ron DeSantis and Glenn Youngkin are bolstering the right of parents to defy school mask mandates. While some parents are celebrating, others are filing lawsuits opposing the policies that make mask-wearing in schools optional. There are a lot of ... Show More
13m 57s
Dec 2023
Should the School Week be four days long?
This week we're talking about some very cold weather that swept across the UK last week and we'll be discussing whether school week should only be four days long!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
21m 46s
Sep 2020
FreshEd #215 – A-Levels debacle in England (Mary Richardson)
Covid-19 disrupted school systems worldwide. Many children are still out of school. One of the issues impacted by school closures has been education assessment. How should students be assessed on their learning when school buildings are closed? Is it fair to hold tests when onlin ... Show More
36m 20s
Sep 2023
The Road to Modern Basketball, Part One: Naismith and "The Incorrigibles"
These days basketball is a billion dollar cultural phenomenon -- but where did it come from? In the first part of this week's series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the origins of basketball, starting with the moment a young James Naismith was asked to distract a bunch of "incorrigibl ... Show More
40m 25s
Mar 2019
03.15.2019
Skipping School, Speed Warp, Beto Announces, #Trashbag, Record Setting Rabbit and St. Pat’s Sunday! 
7m 57s
Aug 2020
Why Teachers Aren’t Ready to Reopen Schools
With the possibility that millions or tens of millions of American children will not enter a classroom for an entire year, school districts face an agonizing choice: Do the benefits of in-person learning outweigh the risks it poses to public health in a pandemic? Today, we explor ... Show More
26m 25s
Dec 2020
A Weird School Year So Far
In the early months of the pandemic much of the country was in disarray, including schools. Now that the fall semester is almost over, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and CNN Correspondent Evan McMorris-Santoro talk about how parents, students and educators are navigating a school year plagued ... Show More
15m 44s