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Policies provide guidelines for the operation of a particular system, especially one that has a hierarchical structure. Education, perhaps the most important system in our nation, is no different. Good policy guides decision making. No policy makes decision-making unreliable and sporadic. And bad policies do way more harm than good. And policy is just the start. What happens after the policy is in place is what is the most important. In this episode, Dr. Darleen Opfer discusses the importance of policies and provides perspective on how stakeholders can improve them.
About Dr. Opfer
Darleen began her career as a special education teacher in Florida and then Virginia. After earning her Ph.D. in education policy at the University of Virginia, she became a professor of education policy. She served in that role at Georgia State University, Ohio State University, and the University of Cambridge. Throughout her career, her focus has been on using evidence to improve schools for low-income and minority students.
In 2011 she joined RAND as Director of RAND Education. In October 2018 she was promoted to Vice President and became Director of the RAND Education and Labor Research Division; she also holds the Distinguished Chair in Education Policy. As the leader of RAND Education and Labor's staff of more than 200 experts from a wide range of disciplines, she is responsible for all aspects of divisional management including business development, financial and strategic planning, staff development, ensuring quality standards, and dissemination of research findings.

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Education is in crisis, and behavior analysts possess the most powerful toolbox in the world for making a positive difference for students, teachers, and educational leaders everywhere. In this podcast, Andrew Houvouras discusses some of the struggles of working in education as a behavior analyst and potential solutions for overcoming a number of common obstacles.
Andrew is a Behavior Analyst with a long history of assessing and treating severe and challenging behavior in education. He has also supervised 40 individuals seeking board certification. Beyond education, Andrew counts behavioral medicine, ABA in autism populations, supervision and mentorship, and broader dissemination of ABA among his most invested interests.
A regular presenter at local, state, and international conferences, Andrew also develops continuing education courses and publishes on such topics. In addition, his far-reaching care for and dedication to the science of behavior were evident during his 2018-2019 term as president of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis.

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A lack of social connection is hurting many. In this informative chat, MIT graduate and CEO of Yellowdig, Shaunak Roy, discusses the negative impact of a failure to have social connections. He also proposes a potentially scalable solution for increasing social connection across education.
To learn more about Yellowdig, please visit yellowdig.co or request a demo here: https://explore.yellowdig.co/demo.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Yellowdig Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: Yellowdig

Some of the studies mentioned in the podcast:

A peer-reviewed study published a yearlong study using Yellowdig data in the Online Learning Journal (Official Journal of the OLC) saying great things about our platform.

Link to Efficacy study with Arizona State University's EdPlus team.

- why? Highlights how the Yellowdig platform positively impacts class grade and completion outcomes, using behavioral and grade data from over 20,000 online students.

Link to Efficacy study in collaboration with Bryan University.

- why? Compares synchronous and asynchronous strategies and overall impact on student engagement, retention, and learning outcomes

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In this episode, Dr. Paulie chats with Dr. Carl Binder about the use of Applied Behavior Analysis and Organizational Behavior Management for making a positive difference in schools.
Dr. Carl Binder began as a doctoral student in Experimental Psychology, attending Harvard University at the invitation of B.F. Skinner, whose writings had inspired him deeply. With an interest in making a societal contribution, he rapidly shifted from basic research to real-world application of behavior science, first developing innovative instructional methods and teacher training for educators, and later contributing to the emerging field of human performance technology in large organizations. With input from many extraordinary teachers and colleagues, Carl has spent over 40 years bringing his enthusiasm for behavior science into corporations, schools, and public organizations worldwide.
Founder of four consulting firms, recipient of career awards from the American Psychological Association, the International Society for Performance Improvement, and the Organizational Behavior Management Network, prolific author and speaker, Carl believes that the Performance Thinking Network is his best opportunity yet for making a contribution. His ability to synthesize information from multiple fields, communicate complex ideas in plain English to non-specialists, and build excitement about making a difference with behavior science brings an intellectual and emotional spark-plug to The Performance Thinking Network.

Carl was recently awarded the Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award
If you are interested in learning from Dr. Binder, check out his Performance Thinking Summer Institute where you'll have the opportunity to learn about leadership, management, systems, and leveraging the science of human behavior to produce important results while making a positive difference in any workplace.

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In this episode of The Crisis in Education Podcast, Dr. Paul "Paulie" Gavoni sits down with Missouri middle school teacher and author Philip Wire to unpack a provocative and timely topic: Are schools getting trauma-informed education right—or missing the mark entirely?

Inspired by Philip’s bold book, "Trauma-Informed Tragedy: How Schools Got Trauma Part Right and Part Wrong," this conversation dives deep into the well-intentioned yet sometimes misguided practices that have emerged in the name of supporting students with trauma.

Dr. Paulie and Phil explore:

✅ What schools are doing well in addressing trauma
✅ Where the system is falling short—and even causing harm
✅ Why good intentions aren't enough without behaviorally sound strategies
✅ How educators can actually empower students without overaccommodating dysfunction

This is not your average trauma talk. It’s a raw, respectful, and practical conversation between two professionals committed to helping—not harming—students through real, actionable solutions.

🎧 Tune in now to hear what it really means to be trauma-informed—and how to do it better.