"I have some great guests this evening," host Hank Thompson texted to Collateral Damage Engineer Andy Heaslet. "Richard Gaines of the SAB for the St Louis Public Schools and Pat Washington, former aid to Charlie Dooley and mayor Freeman Bosley Jr, and a candidate for the University City School Board of Directors."
This lively, fast-paced, and educational conversation will change the way you look at urban schools in the St Louis Region.
Vocabulary for the day, psychometrist - a professional who uses their training and/or experience in psychology to specialize in tests and measurements
Here's a glance at how the conversation went:
Chapter 1. A week after a 19-year-old killed 17 people at a high school in Florida, Washington and Gaines discuss safety in our schools - especially in our urban context. (0:00-18:45)
Chapter 2. Hank wanted to have a linear conversation about how schools today are becoming more segregated. Gaines and Washington entertained the subject, but they both emphasized that perceptions of our urban schools may not match the reality on the ground. (18:45-38:00)
Chapter 3. Solution sharing. While our schools face a great deal of problems, there are solutions that are already making improvements. (38:00-47:00)
This is Hank's last week filling-in as host of Collateral Damage - he will be returning in mid-March with a brand new KDHX podcast called Tangazo. Until then, you can also catch Thompson on the air Sunday nights at 6pm on 88.7 WSIE.
If you're wondering why Hank keeps talking to an "Andy" throughout the podcast, that would be Andy Heaslet, the show's engineer who joins the host and his guests in-studio each week.
*We're hoping to have DJ Wilson back in the studio very soon!*