New View EDU

Episode 96: Educational Ethics in Independent SchoolsWith Meira LevinsonAvailable November 10, 2026What is the relationship between education and democracy, and what are the ethical complexities facing educators as they grapple with teaching dialogue and critical thinking skills in a time of discord and divides? Meira Levinson, political philosopher and scholar of educational ethics, sits down with host Morva McDonald for a conversation about how to engage students in a necessary exchange of ideas without encouraging potentially harmful debates.Guest: Meira LevinsonResources, Transcript, and Expanded Show NotesIn This Episode:“I'm interested in students as autonomous decision makers, right? Like thinking about how we help give power to students and give students a sense of agency. And how they can take that agency then into their adult lives. And again, it's our collective lives and how we structure that collectivity and who is thought to have power and who doesn't, and whose voice we respect and whose voice we don't, and so forth, that I think really helps to shape those opportunities for student voice making and helps to shape their own assessment of whether their exercise of voice matters.” (4:50)“Part of I think what's interesting actually, as we think about the aims of education with independent schools these days, is that this civic disruption, I think, is creating some challenging opportunities for schools to decide. So, like, as there is greater polarization and divide over some core values and principles about, you know, who we should be as a country or as a community, like what we stand for…Some schools that I've been talking with have decided to kind of not necessarily double down, but to be really clear with themselves and with their families.” (13:23)“One of the things that really struck me when I was a teacher and that has continued to strike me over the last 30 years is how little space we give to people who work in schools to be able to articulate and be honest about ethical uncertainty, and the kinds of values trade-offs that we face. There's so much pressure to articulate like ethical clarity and to say, you know, we're doing this because we are committed to that value, which suggests that doing something else means that you're like, you know, unethical, that you're not adhering to that value at all, and that there's no trade-offs. But everything that we decide to do actually involves values trade-offs.” (29:43)Related Episodes: Shaping Future Citizens Through Dialogue, Good Conflict, The Future of Inclusion, Schools in a Time of Hope and Cynicism, Pluralism in Education, Wisdom Road, Helping Students Shape Dynamic Futures, The Opportunities and Obligations of Citizenship in K-12 Education

Episode 95: Shaping Future Citizens Through DialogueWith Mia CharityAvailable November 3, 2026What’s the difference between deliberation and debate? And how can teaching students to practice deliberation help them form valuable civic and life skills? That’s the work Mia Charity leads through the Close Up Foundation, and which she describes in conversation with host Debra Wilson on this episode of New View EDU.Guest: Mia CharityResources, Transcript, and Expanded Show NotesIn This Episode:“I think some of the common threads are that, you know, we all have different ways that these issues that seem so big, healthcare, immigration, you know, those sound like really big issues. But when you start breaking them down and helping people understand how government and public policy really impact and touch their lives, I think once you can make that connection, people understand why they should care…Like you think of these things as public policy, but you know, they're real health, housing, real day-to-day life issues that are wrapped up into policy and community and all the things that are around you, but that's not it, right?” (8:12)“I think the framework of deliberation has helped with listening and receiving information in a way that, like, okay, well, I'm not just trying to win an argument against you. I'm listening, and maybe what you're saying adds to how I think about an issue…There's a willingness from that framework to listen better, to take in pieces that maybe you hadn't thought of before. And so because it's, you know, we're talking about high school and middle school students. They, that they're used to coming into conversations that way versus adults who, even if I said explain deliberation versus debate, still maybe come into those conversations wanting to prove that whatever they're saying is correct.” (13.54)“Critical thinking is in your science class, that's in your math class, that's in all of your classes. And so how do we start defining those skills a little bit differently to help young people recognize like, no, that's something you're gonna do as a good citizen. That's, it applies to your next job. It applies to whether you're going to college or not, and it applies as a life skill that you're learning how to get new information, analyze it and engage with people who might think differently from you. Because I don't know any of us who get to go exclusively live in a bubble.” (21:12)Related Episodes:Good Conflict, The Promise, Possibility, and Power of Adolescence, Schools in a Time of Hope and Cynicism, Pluralism in Education, Wisdom Road, Helping Students Shape Dynamic Futures, The Opportunities and Obligations of Citizenship in K-12 Education

Episode 94: A Member View on AI in SchoolsWith Brent Kaneft of Wilson Hall SchoolAvailable October 27, 2026In this Member View EDU episode, host Andi Gabrick sits down with Brent Kaneft, Head of School at Wilson Hall in South Carolina, to get his thoughts on how AI is impacting schools, and how Brent approaches his headship in an era of rapidly evolving technologies. Guest: Brent KaneftResources, Transcript, and Expanded Show NotesIn This Episode:“And what I am finding in independent schools is one of maybe the biggest challenges we have right now, is that we're in this cycle where we should be rebirthing, we should be recreating and reimagining what our purpose is, what our structure looks like, what we're doing in the classroom, what learning entails. But we're, actually we've been caught in this trap. And that trap is that all growth is good, that abundance means success, that progress is very narrowly defined as, you know, immediate and short term versus looking at long-term second and third order effects of our decisions.” (3:09)“My guess is most schools are going to, you know, if they can optimize, if optimization is already their value, they're not going to use that extra time for things that we would love to do, you know, like be slower in the classroom, take a walk with a student outside and just talk to them, maybe have a teacher reading a book, for goodness sake, you know, and just you know, enjoying themselves on campus. They're not gonna do that. They're gonna say, What else can you do? What other program can we add? Because we've got to be competitive with Joe Blow across the street.” (9:00)And head to 16:40 for the lightning round, where Brent shares what he’s reading, what he’s listening to, and what he does at the beginning and end of each day as a Head of School!Related Episodes: Episode 93: Educational Design in the Age of AIEpisode 92: Reducing Harm in a Digital WorldEpisode 91: The Digital DelusionEpisode 90: The Future of Digital LiteracyEpisode 81: How AI Changes Everything and NothingEpisode 78: The Power of Transcendent Thinking

Episode 93: Educational Design in the Age of AIWith Carl HendrickAvailable October 20, 2026“I think the big rupture that's happened in education recently is AI.” That’s how Carl Hendrick begins his conversation with host Debra Wilson, identifying a clear dividing line between the educators who approach AI as “this is the end of the world,” and those who see the potential for its use. Coming from a background in the science of learning, Carl has a unique perspective on exactly what he thinks the exciting opportunities are to advance our understanding of learning in new ways, and where he believes a more traditional, human-centered approach remains invaluable.Guest: Carl HendrickResources, Transcript, and Expanded Show NotesIn This Episode:“I think probably in 10 years' time, we're gonna see a world in education where a lot of the stuff that teachers do that they instinctively know is not effective, you know, marking books, grading books, a lot of administrative stuff, is just not that important. And we'll probably free up a lot of that and hopefully we'll see a world, we'll see a classroom or a school environment where teachers can really do the thing that teachers are so good at, which is being a mentor, being a coach. Inspiring, motivating kids, 'cause that's the thing that is the sort of hard constraint in schools.” (5:49)“The accountability is very much front loaded with the teacher for things that they're really unaccountable for, whether that be student motivation, poor curricular materials, bad behavior, a whole range of things. So we could create a system where the accountability is a lot more like, in that model where you have – and by the way, when the kids are working on laptops, there's no chatbots. They're doing a knowledge-rich curriculum, used spaced retrieval practice. They're, you know, they're kind of doing the same thing as like a lesson would be, you know, or a really well planned lesson, but they're just getting, they're cognitively, like learning happens when you think hard, when you have to take knowledge and apply it. And in a lot of our lessons, kids are not thinking at all. They're daydreaming, they're cosplaying thinking,” (24:25)“And so that's the kind of birthright of kids. I think we owe it to the kids to pass on that knowledge and give it to them. Now, whether they like it or not is irrelevant. You don't look at a science curriculum and go, you know, Darwin's a bit boring, so we'll do something else this year. Or we'll, you know, we'll leave out Newton and we'll you know, we're doing physics, but we you know, we don't like that, so we'll do something else. And so in literature and culture there's these kind of hugely important points that, just to be a kind of citizen and to be a part of our democracy, it's really helpful to know what these things are.” (29:15)Related Episodes: 91; 90; 81; 75; 71; 68; 49

Episode 92: Reducing Harm in a Digital WorldWith Dr. Barry Davis and Laura TierneyAvailable October 13, 2026As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, school leaders have to make rapid decisions about how to manage the risks and opportunities in real time. What can we learn from the history of public health prevention strategies about proactive risk management, and how can we help kids continue to grow and develop while living in an increasingly digital world? Host Morva McDonald brings together two experts from disparate backgrounds to share their thoughts on AI, social media, and navigating the delicate balance between preparing kids for the future and mitigating harm.Guests: Dr. Barry Davis and Laura TierneyResources, Transcript, and Expanded Show NotesIn This Episode:“Now, there's this whole thing in prevention about personal responsibility versus societal responsibility. And I think of this, you know, many of the times this has come up and they talk about is this social media's big tobacco moment? And I've written a lot about big tobacco. What happens is that there's so much that can be done from a personal level, whether it be the students or the parents or the teachers. But there's also the opposite thing where the people, the companies who make this stuff, whether it be AI or social media, they have responsibility. And the government has a responsibility to rein companies in to do things.” (5:33)“You really need to create this, you know, team-oriented, I think, culture and environment where you're getting everyone on the same page. And I think that's harder to do when technology is throwing you curveball after curveball every week. But I think the, what's hopeful, I think, about this is that the same skills are required, you know, that we needed 10 years ago to navigate social media. As you see the evolution of AI happening, you need proactive communication, you need common standards, you need frequent communication to families and teachers. And so I'm hopeful that you can get alignment, but you do have to think about those three groups very thoughtfully.” (11:49)“I think having rules and standards is always a good thing for students and adults, not just the students. So I think of it as a both and – have the rules in place at a school and combine that with education, combine it with practice, because the rules are not there when the bell rings and a fourth grader goes home on their family tablet or starts playing in a multiplayer, you know, video game with their friends. And the rules are not there. And they're left with what standards did they build with the institutions and communities that they're part of?” (24:08)Related Episodes: 91; 90; 81; 75; 71; 68

Episode 91: The Digital DelusionWith Jared Cooney HorvathAvailable October 6, 2026“Our children are less cognitively capable than we were at their age.” This startling premise begins Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath’s book, The Digital Delusion, and is the starting point for his conversation with New View EDU host Debra Wilson. From there, they delve into the neuroscience behind the claim, and how an education steeped in technology is changing the way students learn and engage with the world. Guest: Jared Cooney HorvathResources, Transcript, and Expanded Show NotesIn This Episode:“One of the greatest things I've learned over my 20 years of studying the brain is, it might only take you three years to learn how to speak, but it takes decades before you have anything meaningful to say. Learning how to use a tool is easy. I could learn how to use a hammer in 10 minutes. But surely building something meaningful with that hammer is gonna take years of experience. And none of that has to do with tool training. It has to do with cognitive training.” (23:25)“So that's, I think, going to be the greater danger of AI is, whether or not kids use it to cheat is irrelevant. Of course they do. Whether or not it's gonna harm learning, honestly, is irrelevant. Of course it does. I don't think there's any debate about any of this. How is it going to impact our children's development of who they are, what they believe, and how they interact with the world around them? That is the scarier question to me. And that, that's the one I don't hear a lot of people talking about.” (29:24)“This comes not from mimicking humanity. This comes from being a human. One of the biggest metaphor mistakes we make is people think the brain is a computer, the human is a machine. Those are metaphors, baby. Nobody genuinely thinks, no neuroscientist worth his or her salt genuinely thinks the brain is a computer. We know it is a lot more than a computer. A computer is a very weak version of what we have. But people take that stuff seriously. And the scary thing is, the more serious you take that, the more you elevate technology above humanity. You start to think technology is a better form of us. Therefore, it should take over. We invented technology. Not only is it not a better form of us, we created it.” (39:01)Related Episodes: 90; 81; 79; 78; 71; 68

Episode 90: The Future of Digital LiteracyWith Yvette Renteria of Common Sense MediaAvailable May 5, 2026So much of our focus as educators has begun to turn towards the digital space. How we can leverage technology and innovation to improve educational outcomes, but also how to keep students safe and thriving in a fast-paced digital world, are overwhelming and sometimes seemingly contradictory concerns. As the pace picks up, it’s hard to keep up with the latest information and cutting-edge research to help us make informed decisions. Morva McDonald speaks with Yvette Renteria of Common Sense Media about how her team is helping educators and parents stay on top of everything they need to know.Guest: Yvette RenteriaResources, Transcript, and Expanded Show NotesIn This Episode:“Something that I grapple with as somebody who's been an educator, like none of the adults, at least now– it will soon shift– have experienced this educational world that our kids do. Like the idea of getting to school, getting on the computer, getting online, doing some work and then, you know, pen to paper as well. And just kind of the mix of that day. And so, I mean, shout out to educators who are navigating this new space of how to teach.” (8:25)“One is like, this is our world. So we often say their digital life, or their digital world. And we often hear students and kids in this conversation be like, no, this is our life. Like we don't see a separation between digital life and real life. The second thing we often hear is, things are being done to us…when quite frankly, they might know more than what those policymakers or those decision makers are doing to them. So there's like a little bit of a frustration or like, leave me alone.” (14:22)“I sit in these focus groups and I listen to students, like I said, I'm so optimistic. They know, I think about this, I'm like, as a seventh grader myself, even my former seventh graders, the way they articulate this world is beautiful, to be honest with you. I just, I really do believe that our students, our kids will be okay. They're gonna, because they are...forming their thoughts and their opinions, and they are utilizing strategies, and they are trying things. And I do, they're even highlighting the risks and the concerns with their own mental wellness. They're downloading the apps that keep them offline. They're doing the things. And so that makes me hopeful.” (31:31)Related Episodes Episode 81; 71; 70; 47; 31

Episode 89: Lessons from Retiring HeadsWith Joan Hill and Russell ShawAvailable April 28, 2026School leadership has always been a dynamic, evolving role, but never more so than in the past several years. As everything about education and the surrounding landscape changes rapidly, the role of a head of school requires more flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity, and innovation than ever before. On this episode of New View EDU, host Debra Wilson invites retiring heads of school Russell Shaw, of Georgetown Day School, and Joan Hill, of the Lamplighter School, to share their learnings and lessons for future heads.Guests: Joan Hill and Russell ShawResources, Transcript, and Expanded Show NotesIn This Episode:“I think that at our best, our schools can be counter-cultural and can sort of cut against the tide. And we have a world that is turning away from community, right? Our attention is being atomized. People are joining less things. Our schools do community really well. They give kids a model of what does it look like to collaborate, to engage with people who see the world a little bit differently than you do.” (9:53)“I’ve found young faculty members bring an esprit d’corps, a let's do this. It's so fun to witness because sometimes the senior faculty are a little jaded. They're a little, you know, sick around the gills, if you will, but the young faculty know that they've overcome big things in their generation, maybe more so than in any other generation at such a compressed time. Global pandemic, that was a big thing. These deep economic difficulties and huge societal changes. And they persist. They continue to get up every day. They see the joy and the hope in their students, and they want to be part of it. They want to lead it.” (26:04)“I watch some of the young aspiring heads want it so badly. They'll say and do anything, but man, you got to live that. And until you're able to really put one leg in the pant leg and the other and be willing to live it, and find that hill that you can all together rally around, then you become an imposter, you see? And when you're an imposter, you've got a short shelf life, because people don't want Memorex. They want the real thing.” (32:44)“But if you don't love the school with everything in you, if you don't feel deeply called to the mission of the school, the job is just too hard. You've got to believe in the place…These jobs, it's really hard. And you have to show up every day with this. I am doing important purposeful work. And I am going to persevere through the lawsuits and through the enrollment shifts and through the really knotty discipline issue, because I am, on behalf of this institution and mission, trying to serve some greater purpose.” (34:11)Related Episodes: 87;  83; 81; 77; 67

Episode 88: Navigating Disruption through CollaborationWith Chad TewAvailable April 21, 2026It’s no secret that independent schools face ongoing challenges, from enrollment to governance to changing norms and social pressures. The schools that continue to thrive are generally the ones that adapt and innovate without losing their sense of tradition and identity. But that’s certainly easier said than done, especially when solutions like mergers enter the picture. Chad Tew, “Chief Disruption Navigator” for LearnCollab, joins host Morva McDonald to talk about his views on the market and landscape for independent schools, why he thinks of merging as more of a unification process, and how different levels of collaboration can shore up school communities in disruptive times.Guest: Chad TewResources, Transcript, and Expanded Show NotesIn This Episode:“One thing that is a challenge for schools, I think, is their governance model, and boards that are focused on kind of like, stability. And we're here to just kind of hold the mission for the future, which is true. And at the same time, sometimes that means that you're so focused on stability that you don't see the flip side of homeostasis, which is kind of apostasis. It's that idea that kind of like programmed, regulated cell death is what the real definition is, where any multicellular organism eliminates either damaged or unwanted or aged cells so that you can maintain a healthy balance. That's a challenge for independent schools.” (5:30)“I think every school should be thinking about a merger or some kind of collaboration. And sometimes some of the most exciting school collaborations come out of a strong school looking at opportunities where they can expand, by kind of helping out or absorbing or merging with another school. The word merger is something that can be scary to people. I like unification better, unifying two schools, unifying two faculties, two student bodies, two cultures, and how do you unify? So you think about it as like, you know, when two families come together, you know, as a result of a marriage, kind of. You want to try and set it up for success by thinking about unification instead of an up-down thing.” (20:28)Related Episodes: 86; 74; 57; 38