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Here are 12 education podcasts you should know about

Podcast listenership has grown steadily in the past decade, and this year proved no different. According to Podcast Insights, 55% of the U.S. population (155 million people) listened to a podcast in 2020, which is up from 51% in 2019. With new listeners comes new shows, and we’ve been doing our best to keep track of them. Below you’ll find the shows we’re following right now along with their self-described topic. 

If you want to get our favorite podcasts of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Friday, make sure to subscribe to our EdWeekly newsletter.

Our podcast list is ever growing, so if you know of a show that is related to education in North Carolina, please let me know by emailing alindenberg@ednc.org.

EdNC shows

Awake58 features the top news and commentary on postsecondary education and community colleges. Host Nation Hahn talks to community college leaders to dive deeper into the stories and goals driving their institutions.

You can listen and subscribe on Soundcloud or Apple Podcasts.

Beyond the Classroom: Voices from Community Colleges is a podcast dedicated to uplifting the voices of community college students, mentors, and faculty. These stories will guide our understanding of the triumphs and hardships of navigating community college life in North Carolina.

You can listen and subscribe on Anchor. Stay tuned for the first episode coming this January.

Hope Starts Here features good news stories in the education space and interviews the people making the good news happen. We’re talking to education leaders, teachers, students, and parents to start a conversation about what’s going well. 

You can listen and subscribe on Soundcloud or Apple Podcasts.

K-12 shows

The Hummingbird Stories is hosted by two principals — Donnell Cannon and Jenny O’Meara. Together they interview school designers, community organizers, learning engineers, and education activists to learn what we should be thinking about when it comes to reimagining the future and the steps we can take today to create better schools, better childhoods, and better people tomorrow.

You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor.

Beginning Teacher Wednesdays was created to help educators bridge the gap between college coursework and what is expected during the first few years of teaching. Join host Jen Hawkins every other Wednesday as she sits down with educational leaders from across the world to discuss topics crucial to finding success as an educator. 

You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor.

Podcast PD NC is brought to you by the Innovative Learning Catalysts from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Digital Teaching and Learning Division. The show’s goal is to share and model professional development that is not “sit and get” but is rather ready for you to “listen and launch” great ideas, strategies, and concepts.

You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

On The Margins is a podcast from the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED) about capturing the often untold stories of educational equity in North Carolina. The show takes an in-depth look at the past, present, and future of schools in pursuit of understanding how to equalize opportunity for marginalized student groups in the Old North State.

You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The EdLeader Podcast is made by Dr. Rob Jackson. Educational leadership is an ever-evolving opportunity to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of students, parents, and the community. Listen for conversations and reflections on improving educational leadership from the classroom to the boardroom and beyond.

You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

School PR Drive Time is a podcast made by the North Carolina School Public Relations Association (NCSPRA). The show is focused on driving the narrative in support of public education. 

You can listen and subscribe on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

The Way Out Is Back Through is hosted by Michael Parker West, an educator at Hortons Creek Elementary School. He created this show to dive into lessons on place, context, and school leadership.

You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Related shows

First in Future: Where Emerging Ideas Take Flight is a podcast by the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State University. The show hopes to connect you with people thinking big thoughts about the future of North Carolina. Each week, host Leslie Bonney talks with business leaders, elected officials, researchers, and people working bottom up and top down to make North Carolina great. 

You can subscribe on Soundcloud

As Yet Untold is made by The Hunt Institute. Everyone has a story to tell, a collection of unique experiences, triumphs and struggles, highs and lows. This show, hosted by president & CEO of The Hunt Institute Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, will feature conversations with some of the best known names in politics and education to get to the “real” story.

You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Listen Notes.

Other multimedia content

Tar Heel Teachers at Home is a weekly video cast focused on engaging North Carolinians in conversations about education

You can tune into the show on YouTube.

ncIMPACT examines issues around our state including education, jobs, healthcare, and others. Host Anita Brown-Graham and her team from the UNC School of Government bring the listening, learning and leading that create conversations, going into the communities that are tackling these problems head on.

You can tune in on their website.

Alli Lindenberg

Alli Lindenberg is an executive fellow for EducationNC.