Are these podcasts free?

Truth for Teachers and The Shake Up Learning Show say on their own pages that subscribing is free. The other pages we read show no price for episodes but do not say free, so check in your podcast app. ISTE+ASCD's page also invites listeners to become members for more content.

Which podcast is best for new teachers?

Truth for Teachers covers everyday teaching life, including classroom management and student engagement, and its page says it publishes every other week. The Shake Up Learning Show is a good second pick if you want tech and lesson ideas.

Which podcast covers teaching reading?

Science of Reading: The Podcast from Amplify, hosted by Susan Lambert, covers early reading, comprehension, assessment, dyslexia and writing. It is made by a publisher, so read it as one organization's view.

How often do these shows publish?

Truth for Teachers is described as biweekly, and The Shake Up Learning Show comes out every other Tuesday. For the other shows we found no schedule we could rely on, so check the podcast app.

Top 9 podcasts for teachers (2026)

Checked October 2026For TeachersKind Free websitesNo affiliate links, no paid placement. How we chose

Quick answer

Truth for Teachers, hosted by Angela Watson, is our number one pick: its own page says new episodes are free and it publishes every other week. The Shake Up Learning Show is the other show whose page says subscribing is free. For reading instruction try Science of Reading: The Podcast. This list is for working teachers who want practical ideas on a commute or a walk.

Top 9 podcasts for teachers (2026): comparison
#	Name	Best for	Price
1	Truth for Teachers	Best for honest talk about teaching life	Free
2	The Shake Up Learning Show	Best for classroom tech and lesson ideas	Free
3	Cult of Pedagogy Podcast	Best for teaching strategies and management	Price varies
4	The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast	Best for a quick idea in a short listen	Price varies
5	Science of Reading: The Podcast	Best for reading instruction in K-8	Price varies
6	School of Practice	Best for short, varied classroom topics	Price varies
7	The Learning Scientists Podcast	Best for research on how study habits work	Price varies
8	MindShift Podcast	Best for big-picture ideas about learning	Price varies
9	IdeaSpark: Big Ideas in Education	Best for conversations with education leaders	Price varies

1. Truth for Teachers

Angela Watson

Best for honest talk about teaching life
Free

Hosted by Angela Watson, who the page says has hosted it since 2015. It describes candid talk about everyday teaching life, with recent episodes on classroom management, mindset, productivity, student engagement and AI in the classroom. Show notes and transcripts are posted as blog articles about every other Sunday.

The page says you can get new episodes automatically for free

Watch for Episode length is not stated on the page, and the show speaks to K-12 teaching broadly rather than any single subject.

Visit Truth for Teachers ↗

2. The Shake Up Learning Show

Kasey Bell

Best for classroom tech and lesson ideas
Free

A biweekly podcast hosted by Kasey Bell for K-12 teachers, with new episodes every other Tuesday and a launch date of March 26, 2019. Episodes include tech tips, lesson ideas, practical advice, on-air coaching and interviews. The page lists Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart and an RSS feed.

The page says it is completely free to subscribe using the podcast app of your choice

Watch for Many recent episode posts are about AI tools, Google Classroom and Canva, so it leans toward ed-tech rather than behavior or pedagogy.

Visit The Shake Up Learning Show ↗

3. Cult of Pedagogy Podcast

Jennifer Gonzalez

Best for teaching strategies and management
Price varies

The podcast of Cult of Pedagogy, whose editor in chief is Jennifer Gonzalez, a former middle school language arts teacher. The page describes it as covering teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform and educational technology, and lists Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Podbean and Spotify.

The page shows no price for episodes, but it does not use the word free

Watch for The page does not state a release schedule, and the main page does not name the host in its text; the host comes from the site's about page.

Visit Cult of Pedagogy Podcast ↗

4. The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast

Vicki Davis

Best for a quick idea in a short listen
Price varies

Subtitled Your Coffee Break PD Teacher Podcast and hosted by Vicki Davis, a classroom teacher. The page lists motivation, practical ed-tech tools, teachers doing notable work, interviews with researchers and authors, and five practical ideas to use right away. It says more than 800 episodes are out, and lists Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube and Audible.

The page shows no price for episodes, but it does not use the word free

Watch for The page contradicts itself on schedule (every Monday at 9am in one place, every weekday in the email sign-up), so we cannot say how often it publishes.

Visit The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast ↗

5. Science of Reading: The Podcast

Amplify

Best for reading instruction in K-8
Price varies

Hosted by Susan Lambert, Amplify's chief academic officer of literacy. The page says it covers research and practice in early reading, with seasons and miniseries on MTSS, comprehension, assessment, adolescent literacy, multilingual learners, dyslexia and writing. It lists Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast and an RSS feed.

The page shows no price for episodes, but it does not use the word free

Watch for It is made by a publisher, Amplify, and the host is its literacy chief, so treat it as one organization's view. It covers reading only and states no schedule.

Visit Science of Reading: The Podcast ↗

6. School of Practice

Edutopia

Best for short, varied classroom topics
Price varies

Edutopia's podcast, which the page calls fast-moving and backed by research and tested by preK-12 teachers. Episodes feature teacher guests on topics such as assessment, classroom management, brain-based learning, technology, social-emotional learning and teacher wellness. It links to Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The page shows no price for episodes, but it does not use the word free

Watch for The page does not name a regular host or give a release schedule, and the show name comes from the episode artwork.

Visit School of Practice ↗

7. The Learning Scientists Podcast

The Learning Scientists

Best for research on how study habits work
Price varies

The page describes it as a podcast for teachers, students and parents about evidence-based practice and learning, with episodes on retrieval practice, spaced practice, dual coding, executive functioning and flashcards. It lists Apple Podcasts, Spotify and an RSS feed, and says it has been funded by a few sponsors.

The page shows no price for episodes, but it does not use the word free

Watch for The page names no hosts and no schedule; going by its dates, it released 9 episodes in 2025 and 6 in 2026 through October 8, so it is occasional.

Visit The Learning Scientists Podcast ↗

8. MindShift Podcast

KQED

Best for big-picture ideas about learning
Price varies

KQED's podcast hosted by Ki Sung and Nimah Gobir. The page describes it as exploring the future of education by highlighting the innovative approaches educators use, and says real learning goes beyond grades and test scores. Each episode has a listen option and a download link.

The page shows no price for episodes, but it does not use the word free

Watch for It covers the future of education generally, not day-to-day classroom tips, and the page gives no release schedule.

Visit MindShift Podcast ↗

9. IdeaSpark: Big Ideas in Education

ISTE+ASCD

Best for conversations with education leaders
Price varies

ISTE+ASCD's podcast, hosted by ISTE CEO Richard Culatta with co-hosts. The page describes candid conversations about what is working in classrooms and what is not, with topics from teaching strategies and school culture to technology, leadership and classroom management. It lists Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts.

The page shows no price for episodes; the episode list ends with an invitation to become a member for more content

Watch for The page does not say which content needs a membership, names no co-hosts, and gives no release schedule.

Visit IdeaSpark: Big Ideas in Education ↗

Also good

This Week with EdSurge: EdSurge's weekly news show about the future of learning; its episode list was empty when we checked, so we left it out of the ranking.

How we chose

We weighed these, most important first. The order is our judgement against them, not a score or a vote, and a different teacher could reasonably order it differently.

Free to listen, stated on its own page. Two shows say so in words; for the rest we saw no price but also no statement, and we mark that.
Clear host and focus. A named host or producer and a plain description of what the show covers.
Made for working teachers. Practical classroom topics rather than general education news.
Cadence on the page. A stated release rhythm, noted only where the page gives one.

We took no money, free products or affiliate commissions for any place on this list, and no link here carries a tracking code. Every fact was read on the maker’s own page on October 27, 2026; prices carry that date because they change. See how we choose and the ad-free promise.

Questions

Are these podcasts free?: Truth for Teachers and The Shake Up Learning Show say on their own pages that subscribing is free. The other pages we read show no price for episodes but do not say free, so check in your podcast app. ISTE+ASCD's page also invites listeners to become members for more content.
Which podcast is best for new teachers?: Truth for Teachers covers everyday teaching life, including classroom management and student engagement, and its page says it publishes every other week. The Shake Up Learning Show is a good second pick if you want tech and lesson ideas.
Which podcast covers teaching reading?: Science of Reading: The Podcast from Amplify, hosted by Susan Lambert, covers early reading, comprehension, assessment, dyslexia and writing. It is made by a publisher, so read it as one organization's view.
How often do these shows publish?: Truth for Teachers is described as biweekly, and The Shake Up Learning Show comes out every other Tuesday. For the other shows we found no schedule we could rely on, so check the podcast app.

Related Top Tens

Last checked October 27, 2026. Something out of date or missing? Tell us and we will fix it; makers can send corrections, never money.