On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, former Massachusetts Secretary of Education Jim Peyser joins Mike to discuss education reform’s tendency to overpromise, and how we can avoid that in the fight against learning loss. Then, on the Research Minute, Adam discusses a study on how the pandemic affected the academic growth of high- and low-achieving students. Recommended content: “Settle for better”— James Peyser“Education reform is alive and well, even if the Washington Consensus is dead for now”—Michael Petrilli“Let’s forge a new K–12 political coalition—without political extremists” —Bruno MannoThe study that Adam reviewed on the Research Minute: Scott J. Peters et al., “Unequal Learning Loss: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Influenced the Academic Growth of Learners at the Tails of the Achievement Distribution,” Annenberg Institute at Brown University (June 2023)  Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Jeanette Luna at [email protected].