Today is the first in a three-part series on public education in the United States. The focus is on compulsory K-12 education. We begin the series by educating ourselves on the business of education and stripping away the hysteria surrounding mask mandates, CRT, school prayer and kitty litter in bathrooms. Along the way we identify key stakeholders, look at outcomes and measurements, offer a primer on how schools are funded and examine the ongoing mass exodus from the profession of teaching. With a solid foundation in place, the episode ends with an overview of the more fundamental criticisms of public education to understand how and why public education is under attack in this nation. 

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:21

Chapter One: Framing the Inquiry. 00:05:43

Chapter Two: The Structure and Language of Education. 00:15:26

Chapter Three: The Opposition. 00:26:15

Post Show Musings: 00:38:05

Outro: 00:39:58

Resources

World Socialist Web Site: 2.6 million US educators and staff quit public K-12 and higher education jobs during pandemic

National Center for Education Statistics: Public School Enrollment

The Nation’s Report Card: Student Performance Across Subjects

National Center for Education Statistics: Total number of public school teachers and percentage of public school teachers in a union or employees' association, by selected school characteristics: 2015–16

Resilient Educator: Your Guide to Education Lingo

Learning Journals: What Are the Different Pedagogical Approaches to Learning?

Rasmussen University: What Is Reggio Emilia? Your Guide to This Child-Driven Approach

Stanford: An Introduction to Design Thinking

Understood: Understanding IEPs

Resilient Educator: Project Based Learning: A Hands On Approach To Teaching

Bookshop.org: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

National Association for Science, Medicine and Engineering: The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education: Branches from the Same Tree

Resilient Educator: Why the “A” in STEAM Education is Just As Important As Every Other Letter

U.S. News: IB vs. AP: Discover the Differences

Peter G. Peterson Foundation: How Is K-12 Education Funded?

Edbuild: Nonwhite School Districts Get $23 Billion Less Than White Districts Despite Serving The Same Number Of Students

Pew Charitable Trusts: ‘Lost Decade’ Casts a Post-Recession Shadow on State Finances

OECD: Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2012 

National Center for Education Statistics: Long-term trends in reading and mathematics achievement

The Heritage Foundation: The Battle Over Parents’ Rights in Education Is Just Getting Started

The Heritage Foundation: America’s School Choice Moment Can’t Be Missed at Midterm Elections

Bookshop: Race to the Bottom

UNFTR: F*ck Milton Friedman.

Book Love

Derek W. Black: Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy

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