Almost everyone has an opinion about public education, especially in the years since the COVID pandemic when the physical closure of schools and online schooling became highly controversial.

The vast majority of American students attend public school, but the numbers are falling, partially because of growing financial support for school choice and the changing views of many parents. According to a Gallup poll last year, nearly two-thirds of Americans were dissatisfied with the quality of education students receive in kindergarten through 12th grade.

In this podcast episode, we bring together two respected education leaders with different views about public schooling. Becky Pringle was a middle school science teacher for three decades, and is now President of the NEA - The National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union. Gisele Huff is a philanthropist, expert on education reform, and a longtime supporter of school choice and charter schools.