The classroom has changed. Has education?

For the first time in U.S. history, children under 18 are the majority non-white. Meanwhile, women now earn nearly 60% of all bachelor’s degrees, a complete reversal from the 1950s.

So here’s the real question: Who decides what counts as knowledge?

In this Season 2 premiere, we unpack how demographic shifts collide with outdated knowledge frameworks, and what happens when schools fail to evolve. This episode challenges assumptions about rigor, equity, and institutional power in the U.S. education system.

The demographic pivot has already happened.

Will education pivot with it?

Primary Keywords

• Education podcast

• Higher education

• K-12 education

• Knowledge and power

• Cultural context of knowledge

• Educational equity

• Demographic change

• U.S. education system

• Academic rigor

• Hidden curriculum

Secondary / Discovery Keywords

• College completion rates

• Women in higher education

• Title IX impact

• Education reform

• Institutional power

• Curriculum design

• Sociology of education

• Educational leadership

• Education policy

This is part of the seven-part series of Learning Is a Struggle (Learner Edition). In Episode 11, Dr. Donald Easton-Brooks closes the series by showing you how to move beyond short-term studying and build learning that transfers—into new classes, new problems, and real-life decision-making. You’ll learn how to recognize whether you truly understand something (or just recognize it), how to turn knowledge into usable skill through practice and reflection, and how to protect your confidence when struggle shows up again. This episode also ties the full method together—learning as a process shaped by your lived experience, language, and cultural context—so you can keep improving without comparing your “learning room” to anyone else’s. You’ll leave with a simple long-term plan to keep learning on purpose.

Audience

• High school and college students who want learning that lasts beyond the test

• First-generation college students building long-term academic confidence

• Struggling learners who want to stop the cram–forget cycle

• Adult learners returning to school or skill training

• Students preparing for cumulative finals, certification exams, or next-level courses

• Learners who want to connect school learning to real-life goals and identity

  
  

  Keywords

  • Learning Is a Struggle (Learner Edition)

  • learning transfer

  • learn on purpose

  • study strategies

  • deep learning

  • metacognition

  • Bloom’s Taxonomy

  • active recall

  • retrieval practice

  • long-term retention

  • academic confidence

  • struggling learners

  • first-generation students

  • learning habits

  • student success

This is part 6 of the 7-part series of Learning Is a Struggle (Learner Edition). In Episode 10, Dr. Donald Easton-Brooks helps you turn everything from the series into one simple, repeatable learning system you can use for any subject—especially when motivation is low, and pressure is high. You’ll learn how to diagnose what you actually need (using Bloom’s), choose the right study move for the right phase, and build a short daily routine that creates progress without burnout. This episode also shows how your lived experience, language, and cultural context shape how information “fits” in your mind—so your learning system is built for you, not copied from someone else. By the end, you’ll have a practical method for studying with purpose, tracking what’s working, and building confidence through consistency.

Audience:

• High school and college students who want a simple, repeatable way to study

• First-generation college students building independence and confidence

• Struggling learners who need structure more than motivation

• Adult learners returning to school or professional training

• Students managing heavy course loads, athletics, work, or family responsibilities

• Learners preparing for finals, cumulative exams, or long-term skill building

  
  

  Keywords:

• Learning Is a Struggle (Learner Edition)

• learning system

• how to study effectively

• study routine

• Bloom’s Taxonomy

• metacognition

• active recall

• retrieval practice

• study plan

• academic confidence

• struggling learners

• first-generation students

• time management for students

• exam preparation

• learning strategies