Head of the Class
by Our Schools USA
Latest episode
Title IX: Part II - Who is Left to Protect Girls in Public Schools…
Title IX: Part II - Who is Left to Protect Girls in Public Schools…
About this podcast
A weekly conversation between the founders of Our Schools USA, covering the latest headlines and hot topics in public education.
Hosted by Christina Gagnier, a former school board member, and Kristi Hirst, a former teacher and current public school parent.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 73 episodes
- Title IX: Part II - Who is Left to Protect Girls in Public Schools When the Federal Government Refuses to Do So? · 29 minTitle IX is one of the most important civil rights laws in American education. In this episode, Kristi and Christina continue their examination of changes to Title IX, delving…
- Title IX Under Trump: Are Girls Losing Critical Protections Against Sexual Harassment? · 33 min · Season 4 Episode 10Title IX is one of the most important civil rights laws in American education. In this episode, Kristi and Christina examine the Trump administration's return to the 2020 Title…
- Part IV - The 2026 Midterm Election: Public Education Is on the Ballot, Even When You Think It's Not · 46 min · Season 4 Episode 9In this episode, Kristi and Christina bring the podcast series on the midterms home, focusing on how state government impacts public education and what you can do to make your…
- Part III - Pay Attention to Public Education in These Midterms - The 2026 Midterm Election: Public Education Is on the Ballot, Even When You Think It's Not · 42 min · Season 4 Episode 8In this episode, Kristi and Christina tackle the school board culture wars greatest hits: curriculum fights, book bans, and religion in public schools. These culture war issues…
- Part II - The 2026 Midterm Election: Public Education Is on the Ballot, Even When You Think It’s Not · 36 min · Season 4 Episode 7In this episode, Kristi and Christina continue their conversation about the importance of these upcoming midterm elections on public education across the country (less than 40…
- The 2026 Midterm Election: Public Education Is on the Ballot, Even When You Think It’s Not - Part I · 47 min · Season 4 Episode 6In this episode, Kristi and Christina delve into why the 2026 midterm election matters enormously for public education. When we hear "midterm election," we often think about…
- A Head Start on Success · 45 min · Season 4 Episode 5In this episode, Kristi and Christina talk about the wide sweeping cuts and changes to the national Head Start program. If you have a child in elementary school, you may think of…
- Schoolhouse Power: The Push for Christian Nationalist Curriculum in Public Schools · 45 min · Season 4 Episode 4In this episode, Kristi and Christina discuss the Christian nationalist curriculum pipeline: how a network of ideological organizations, private colleges, political operatives…
- Dropping Some Knowledge: Who Is Behind the Chaos Emerging in Public Schools? · 45 min · Season 4 Episode 3In this episode, Kristi and Christina jump into the first of a series of podcast episodes exploring the forty year plus plan to defund, delegitimize, and, ultimately, privatize…
- When They Come for the Department of Education · 51 min · Season 4 Episode 2In this episode, Kristi and Christina discuss the Trump (err) Project 2025 agenda and how its calls to eliminate the Department of Education are happening in function, if not in…
- It All Started with Threats at a School Board Meeting · 52 min · Season 4 Episode 1Head of the Class is back! In this episode, Kristi and Christina reintroduce Our Schools USA and their "origin" story since it has been a beat. If you can relate, this podcast is…
- Let's Put a Freeze on All Things Trump White House · 55 min · Season 3 Episode 5It has not even been a week since the last podcast, but when the firehose of Executive Orders is at full blast, we got to keep up. In this episode, Kristi and Christina discuss…
- We Don't Know That We'll Be Safe and Sound · 55 min · Season 3 Episode 4This past week was a blur of executive orders and agency actions emerging from the Trump Administration. While some of these actions may have been under your radar, these actions…
- Trump II: The Orange Tyranny · 55 min · Season 3 Episode 3Come Monday, we are in the second Trump Administration (we are calling it "T2A"). What happens Day 1? What can Trump do unilaterally through Executive Orders? Who will be told…
- The University We Won't Be Applying To: Moms for Liberty University · 47 min · Season 3 Episode 2Low and behold, the group behind the chaos that has enveloped public schools and that has rejected expertise and education has launched its own university How fitting. In this…
- "Of Questionable Value": The Far-Right's Newest Pro-Fertility Push for Public Schools · 57 min · Season 3 Episode 1It's Season 3 of Head of the Class, and what a topic to start off with: public schools as a conduit for "increasing the married birth rate." No, we cannot make this stuff up. In…
- The Miseducation of MAGA · 47 min · Season 2 Episode 29In this episode, Kristi and Christina dive into the debate around U.S. immigration policy, American education, and the increasing demand for highly skilled labor. While the…
- Schools Out Forever: The Disturbing Trend of School Closures in West Virginia · 42 min · Season 2 Episode 28In this podcast, Kristi and Christina discuss the trend of school closures in West Virginia and how what is happening in these rural communities in the state are a sign of what…
- Show Me The Money: How Public Schools Get Financed · 58 min · Season 2 Episode 27In this episode, Kristi & Christina discuss how public schools are funded from federal, state, and local funding streams, and how cuts to the Department of Education funding to…
- Trump's Secretary of Education Nominee: Linda McMahon's Anti-Public Education Agenda · 58 min · Season 2 Episode 26In this episode, Kristi & Christina introduce listeners to Linda McMahon (yes, that WWE McMahon family), who is Trump's pick to lead the federal Department of Education. If you…
