KERA's Think

Despite hard evidence that they work, school voucher programs are still gaining steam. Josh Cowen, professor of education policy at Michigan State University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why “school choice” is such a hot-button issue, the influential people behind its growth, and why this push is signaling distrust of public schools. His book is “The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.”

The truly walkable city seems like something only small European cities can obtain, but urban planners have grand plans. Natalie Whittle is a contributor to the Financial Times, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the idea of the 15-minute city, where cars aren’t necessary, bikes abound, and all amenities are a short walk away. Her book is “Shrink the City: The 15-Minute Urban Experiment and the Cities of the Future.”

A look at brain-friendly eating patterns, understanding how “good” and “bad” fats affect us and simple recipe ideas for incorporating these foods into every meal.

As Thanksgiving’s heaping helpings loom, it might be good to remember both obesity and food waste are linked to your plate’s portions. Hank Cardello is Chair of the Portion Balance Coalition and executive director of the Leadership Solutions for Health + Prosperity program at Georgetown University’s Business for Impact. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how restaurant meals and prepared foods have doubled in size since the 1970s – and why cutting them back down would be good for the planet and people. His research paper on the topic is called “The Power of Portions.”

The election might have been won or lost on the price of eggs, but beyond inflation, there are other reasons your grocery bill is so high. Jesse Newman is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the middleman between producers and supermarket shelves – grocery distribution companies – the razor-thin margins the industry operates on even as prices rise for the consumer, and how everything we eat is brokered by these distributors. Her article is “The Mysterious Fees Inflating Your Grocery Bill.”

The process to be officially considered Native American, can be complicated – and heartbreaking for those who identify but don’t qualify. Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz is an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina who spent seven years working in the Obama Administration on issues of homelessness and Native policy. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why tribal membership is so difficult to achieve, why thousands of acknowledged tribes each have their own enrollment criteria, and what it means to win that recognition. Her book is called “The Indian Card: Who Gets to Be Native in America.”

A novel about the glass trade in Murano, Italy, finds magic in characters that age hundreds of years and never die. New York Times bestselling author Tracy Chevalier joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her enduring characters who live and work in the decorative glassmaking trade outside Venice, why the author chose to follow one family continuously from the Renaissance to modern life and the beauty found in small moments. Her book is “The Glassmaker.”

You’ve got to get your 10,000 steps in today, right? Except that’s not based on any real science. Courtney Rubin writes about medicine, health, fitness, and wellness and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the myth of the 10,000 steps came to be, why science is complicating that number and what you should know when you hit the pavement for that daily walk. Plus, we’ll consider the joys of walking. The article, “The accidental step-count scam,” was published in Women’s Health.

The NFL knows that concussions are a risk for its players – and it’s largely the players who carry the burden of protecting themselves. New York magazine features writer Reeves Wiedeman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the league’s approach to concussions has affected high-profile players like Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, why CTE is still a major concern, and why the NFL is changing its positioning on the matter. His article is “The End of the NFL’s Concussion Crisis.”

One surprising trend that’s come out of the higher education demographics: white college-age Americans are ditching school. Katherine Mangan, senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why white student enrollment has been declining for years, why administrators are just now catching on to this fact, and the delicate balance of recruiting underrepresented groups while maintaining a baseline of traditional students. Her article is “Where Are the White Students?”

As the world goes electric, drilling for fossil fuels will increasingly be replaced by digging for metals. Journalist and author Vince Beiser joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the increased demand for cobalt, nickel, copper and other metals to fuel everything from batteries to the wires that transfer energy – and how access to those resources feeds geopolitical relationships. His book is “Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future.”

After polls teased a close presidential race, swing-state votes offered a sharp rebuke to the Democratic party. Wall Street Journal reporter Ken Thomas joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what some Democratic strategists are calling a disaster for the party, why the Left’s cultural issues aren’t bringing in the votes, and who the party might turn to next. His article, written with Annie Linskey, is “Harris’s Loss Triggers Soul-Searching, Recriminations Within Democratic Party.”

If you’re someone who always thinks the sky is falling, chances are you’re not very happy. Jamil Zaki, professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why cynicism leads to not only a more dismal outlook on life, but deleterious health effects. Plus we’ll hear why a little dose of hope can inject joy into everyday living. Zaki’s book is “Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness.” This episode originally aired on September 6, 2024.

Waves of Black progress have historically been accompanied by waves of significant backlash. Anthony Walton is a poet, professor and the writer-in-residence at Bowdoin College, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why gains in Black life have so often come with periods of reckoning, why racial trauma in this country so often repeats itself, and why the country wasn’t prepared for its first Black president. His book is “The End of Respectability: Notes of a Black American Reckoning With His Life and His Nation.”

What exactly are we missing out on when we only experience something online rather than IRL? Christine Rosen is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a columnist for Commentary magazine, senior editor at the New Atlantis and fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the lure of the digital world, with its ease and convenience, and the physical and personal connections we leave behind when we choose a contactless experience. Her book is “The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World."

For years, we worried about overpopulation, but the reality is now there aren’t enough babies being born to replace a greying population across the globe. Nicholas Eberstadt is Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss depopulation occurring on five continents, why pro-natal programs cost a lot but aren’t seeing results, and what this means for how we measure economic growth in the future. His article “The Age of Depopulation” was published in Foreign Affairs.

Jasmine Rashid is a financial activist and Director of Impact for Candide Group. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why taboo discussions about wealth and money need to happen for social change, how shopping small businesses can put pressure on multi-national corporations, and her easy how-to guide for a budding activist that starts with pinching pennies. Her book is “The Financial Activist Playbook: 8 Strategies for Everyday People to Reclaim Wealth and Collective Well-Being.”

There’s a difference between hearing and listening, and there’s an art to cultivating the latter. Elizabeth Rosner, novelist, poet, and essayist, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how listening is the skill of interpretation, how she learned to hear the important things left unsaid in her own upbringing, and what science can teach us about the sounds that envelop us. Her book is “Third Ear: Reflections on the Art and Science of Listening.”

Think of students who made it into the Ivy League — can you believe some of them made it there without ever actually finishing reading a book. Rose Horowitch, assistant editor at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why top students are complaining about having to read books for college classes, how testing culture has contributed to this problem, and what this means for developing critical thinking skills. Her article is “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.”

It’s Election Day, and the votes are being tabulated. So how can we know the counts are accurate and the data is safe? Derek Tisler, counsel in the elections and government program at the nonpartisan Brennan Center, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss election tabulation and security, why we might not know the official winner on election night, and what makes new technology so effective in counting votes.