Today on Boston Public Radio:
Paul Reville discussed the CDC’s latest statement reassuring schools that they can operate safely in-person and frustration from Massachusetts educators about their standing in the state's vaccine rollout plan. Reville is the state's secretary of education and a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he also heads the Education Redesign Lab. His latest book, co-authored with Elaine Weiss, is: " Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools And Communities Help Students Overcome The Disadvantages Of Poverty.”
Next, we turned to listeners, hearing their thoughts on whether the state ought to prioritize vaccinating teachers ahead of school reopening in Massachusetts.
Jonathan Gruber broke down President Joe Biden's plan to expand the child tax credit and explained the significance of making those credits fully refundable. Gruber teaches economics at MIT. He was instrumental in creating both Massachusetts' health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act. His latest book is " Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth And The American Dream."
Juliette Kayyem talked about the state of the forthcoming Senate impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump. She also discussed how Biden is preparing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to take preemptive action against natural disasters brought by climate change. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Art Caplan weighed in on Biden’s handling of the pandemic during his first week in office and talked about the need for countries to anticipate snags in vaccine manufacturing and distribution. He also touched on the slow rollout of vaccines in Massachusetts and concerns he has with the 22,000 fans attending this year's Super Bowl. Caplan is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University School of Medicine.
Then we returned to callers for the ongoing conversation about teacher vaccinations and in-person learning.
Sy Montgomery returned for our monthly edition of "Afternoon Zoo." Among other animal stories, she talked about the bizarre and slow-paced mating rituals of the shipworm, the majesty of mosquito birth and the thieving monkeys of Bali. Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a BPR contributor. Her latest book is " Becoming A Good Creature."
