A Community and Conversation for K-12 Educators Committed to Meaningful Change

EDUcation Unscripted & Xplored, co-hosted by University of Iowa College of Education professors Kari Vogelgesang and Mark McDermott, is a research- and reality-backed podcast for anyone passionate about harnessing the power of education for positive change.

Unlike most education podcasts that stick to classroom strategy or faculty development, we bring together teacher preparation, K–12 systems, and wellness to ask the hard questions about what actually drives meaningful change for people and systems.

Our goal is to explore the hopes, tensions, and trends shaping the field today and to offer listeners honest, evidence-based conversations that help them think differently about the work. Join us as we help schools better serve students, families, and communities—and empower those same communities to support schools in return.

Latest episodes

Photos of co-hosts with headsets and mics with text [EDUcation Unscripted & Xplored]

S1:E4 | Everyday Counts: Tackling Chronic Absenteeism Through Connection and Care

Chronic absenteeism has surged since the pandemic, and the numbers tell only part of the story. In this episode, Kari and Mark dig into what's really driving students away from school and what it takes to bring them back.
EDUcation Unscripted & Explored - Episode 3 | Teacher Preparation: Developing the Next Generation of Sustainable, Healthy Educators with photos of Kari and Mark with headsets and mics

S1:E3 | Teacher Preparation: Developing the Next Generation of Sustainable, Healthy Educators

Kari and Mark sit down with Elliott Johnson, Associate Professor of Education at Luther College, to unpack the state of teacher preparation programs, what we are getting right, and what the public gets wrong about the profession.
Co-hosts Mark and Kari with headsets and mics with text: EDUcation Unscripted & Xplored

S1:E2 | Literacy as a Wellness Predictor: How Reading Skills Shape Lifelong Outcomes

In this episode, co-hosts Dr. Kari Vogelgesang and Dr. Mark McDermott are joined by Dr. Leah Zimmermann from the Iowa Reading Research Center to explore how reading proficiency shapes far more than classroom performance.
Podcast co-hosts smiling together with mics and headsets; text on graphic [EDUcation Unscripted & Xplored]

S1:E1 | Why We’re Going Off-Script: Who We Are and Why This Matters

In the very first episode of EDUcation Unscripted & Xplored, co-hosts Dr. Kari Vogelgesang and Dr. Mark McDermott invite you into an honest, unfiltered dialogue about the complex and ever-changing world of PK–12 education.

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