The Class Of 2025 is in middle school but transitioning soon to high school. Here's an episode looking further out, and what it's like to be in a different transition - going away to college in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What’s it like teaching middle school in 2021?

Feb 8th, 2021 22m 48s

Two middle school teachers talk to OPB Think Out Loud host Dave Miller about what it’s like in the virtual classroom right now -- how to keep students engaged, talk about current events, and what might happen when things go back to “normal.”

Guest Episode: RadioActive, from KUOW

Feb 2nd, 2021 17m 26s

Here’s another youth-produced podcast, this time from KUOW in Seattle. It’s called RadioActive. In this episode, teen reporters combine a fictional story with questions and answers about polarization, belonging, and social media.

Guest Episode: tbh

Jan 19th, 2021 22m 57s

We’ve wrapped up this season of Class Of 2025, but we’re back to share another show we think you’ll like: tbh, from KALW. It’s a chance to hear straight from high school students in the Bay Area. This episode, they’re talking about race, educat

Season 2, Epilogue: The Road to 2025 continues

Jan 12th, 2021 14m 59s

Middle school is almost over for the Class Of 2025 -- high school is next. An update on 8th grade, and a look to the future.

Season 2, Ep 6: Why some Black students may do better at home

Jan 5th, 2021 28m 51s

For two Black students in the Class Of 2025, learning at home has been better than getting an education in-person. Why? How do these students’ experiences in school with peers and teachers compare to being at home with parents and pets? We hear

Season 2, Ep 5.5: What’s it like running a middle school in 2020?

Dec 28th, 2020 5m 36s

We’ll be back next week with episode 6, but here’s a bonus in the meantime - a conversation with OPB host Geoff Norcross and Michael Contreras, principal of Ron Russell Middle School - where most of the Class Of 2025 goes to school.

Season 2, Ep 5: Boys “Fall Apart” in middle school

Dec 21st, 2020 24m 59s

Middle school is a time of changes -- academic, social, emotional, and physical. For boys, puberty tends to start in the middle of middle school -- later than for girls. What effect does that have on differences between boys' and girls' learnin

Season 2, Ep 4: Lessons from The Plague - new teachers in 2020

Dec 14th, 2020 21m 9s

It’s Friday the 13th, the last day of in-person school, and Nathan Tew was teaching about the bubonic plague. New teachers to a middle school reflect on how the school year blew up, their scramble to maintain contact with students, and how thin

Season 2, Ep 3: The year that screen time was all the time

Dec 7th, 2020 26m 13s

Teens are online a lot, and the pandemic pushed teens online even more -- whether through a computer or phone screen. At the same time, adolescence is an important time for building friendships and social connections. How are teens staying conn

Season 2, Ep 2: When school and home collide -- COVID-19 continued

Nov 30th, 2020 22m 29s

School isn’t the only thing COVID-19 is interrupting. Being stuck at home means boredom, frustration, loneliness -- not to mention the fear and anxiety that comes with living through a pandemic. We hear from Shelby, Ava, Kaylie, and their famil

Season 2, Ep 1: The Class of 2025 and COVID-19

Nov 30th, 2020 25m 38s

The Class of 2025 was halfway through middle school when COVID-19 shut down classrooms. At first, teenagers were excited for an extended spring break. But weeks turned into months of students staring at computer screens and the same walls of th

Trailer

Class of 2025 trailer

Oct 5th, 2020 1m 46s

OPB has followed a group of Oregon students for 8 years. The Class of 2025 is in the middle of middle school now - where school and social drama met a pandemic, protests, and an economic downturn. Learn what it’s like to be 13 in 2020.The Class

Ep. 6: Calling School A 'Sanctuary'

Oct 9th, 2017 21m 36s

What should schools do when a politically charged issue like immigration scares students? Find out in the final episode in this season of the "Class of 2025."Learn more about the “Class of 2025” project and podcast at opb.org/2025.

Ep. 6: Calling School A 'Sanctuary'

Oct 9th, 2017 21m 36s

Ep. 5: Is Your Brain A Muscle Or A Machine?

Oct 2nd, 2017 18m 33s

Is your mind more like a muscle that you can build? Or a machine that does some things well, and others not at all? "Class of 2025" explores “mindsets” through students Austin and Jason.Learn more about the “Class of 2025” project and podcast a

Ep. 5: Is Your Brain A Muscle Or A Machine?

Oct 2nd, 2017 18m 33s

Ep. 4: 'I Already Learned This'

Sep 25th, 2017 24m 50s

How should schools teach students who are way ahead of the pack? We follow two Talented And Gifted students in the Class of 2025. Learn more about the “Class of 2025” project and podcast at opb.org/2025.

Ep. 4: 'I Already Learned This'

Sep 25th, 2017 24m 50s

Ep. 3: 'I Felt I Just Wasn't As Smart As Everybody Else'

Sep 18th, 2017 19m 11s

Students with learning disabilities have struggled to progress through school for decades. States have increased their focus in recent years on disabilities like dyslexia. Meet "Class of 2025" student Shelby and her efforts to become a better r

Ep. 3: 'I Felt I Just Wasn't As Smart As Everybody Else'

Sep 18th, 2017 19m 11s

Ep. 2: I Don't Speak The Same Language As My Parents

Sep 11th, 2017 21m 6s

Ashley has done a great job of learning English as her second language. But what about her first language, Spanish?Learn more about the “Class of 2025” project and podcast at opb.org/2025.

Ep. 2: I Don't Speak The Same Language As My Parents

Sep 11th, 2017 21m 6s

Ashley has done a great job of learning English as her second language. But what about her first language, Spanish?Learn more about the “Class of 2025” project and podcast at opb.org/2025.

Ep. 1: Who Cares About Math When You Don't Have A Home?

Sep 5th, 2017 22m 18s

Fourth grade marked his first time back in a public school after being homeschooled in his family’s trailer. But partway through the year, Ethan became homeless.Learn more about the "Class of 2025" project and podcast at opb.org/2025.