The first episode of the relaunched Insight podcast, From Slate to Screen: The Journey of Public Education, is now available on YouTube and Spotify. 

Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson’s guests are Dr. Debbie Mercer, dean of the College of Education at Kansas State University, and Mark Tallman, associate executive director at the Kansas Association of School Boards. This episode covers a wide range of education topics and issues that have shaped education in Kansas and across the nation: From one-room schoolhouses with slate boards to the dynamic, technology-driven classrooms of today.  

Dr. Watson emphasized his belief that education is the “great equalizer” and talked about memories of his grandmother encouraging him to go to college and become a teacher because it is a “noble profession.” Dr. Mercer discussed how attaining an education lends itself to a democratized society “to solve real world problems.” Tallman said the early colonists “put a high premium on literacy” for citizens to be able to participate in their government.   

The next episode of the Insight podcast scheduled to air on Thursday, April 9, will cover the topic of technology in the classroom and cell phone policies in schools.