1 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: On this episode of news World, It's no secret that 2 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: our government run public education system has held generations of 3 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: Americans hostage. The teachers unions have a harder work running 4 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: a mass misinformation campaign to convince parents that because this 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: is how it has always been, this is how it 6 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,600 Speaker 1: has to be. But here's why you may not realize. 7 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:26,760 Speaker 1: The parents are winning and we are nearing the end 8 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: of the education dictatorship. The school choice revolution is here 9 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: and moms and dads are successfully restoring parental rights in education, 10 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:39,200 Speaker 1: state by state and one school district at a time. 11 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: In his new book, The Parent Revolution, doctor Corey Deangelius, 12 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: an influential advocate of school choice, argues why parents and 13 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 1: political leaders must lean into the culture war taking place 14 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: in schools. Here to discuss his new book, I'm really 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: pleased to welcome my guest, doctor Corey DeAngelis. He is 16 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: the executive director at Educational Freedom Institute, a senior Fellow 17 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: at the American Federation for Children, and a visiting fellow 18 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Corey, welcome, and thank you 19 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: for joining me on Newtsworld. 20 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 2: Hey, thanks so much for having me. 21 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 1: You begin your book by talking about how you were 22 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: given the opportunity to attend a magnet school for high school, 23 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: which was physically located on the same campus as the 24 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: public school. What were the differences that you saw between 25 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: the magnet school and the public school. Yea. 26 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 3: At the magnet school there was high expectations and people 27 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 3: wanted to be there. There was a specialized mission as well. 28 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 3: It was a communications school, and so hopefully that has 29 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 3: helped me with my employment nowadays. But look at the 30 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 3: government run school that I was assigned to. They have 31 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,559 Speaker 3: monopoly power because if you want to go somewhere else, 32 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 3: in most cases, you've got to pick up and move 33 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 3: houses to be assigned to a better quote unquote public school, 34 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:14,399 Speaker 3: or you've got to pay out of pocket to pay 35 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 3: for private school tuition and fees in addition to what 36 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,119 Speaker 3: you're paying for the assigned school through property and other 37 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 3: tax revenues as well. 38 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 2: And there was a lot of. 39 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 3: Bullying, fighting, There was drugs, gang activity at the residentially 40 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 3: assigned school, and I was able to see the night 41 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 3: and day difference for four years right before my eyes. 42 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 3: And I think other families should have educational opportunities too, 43 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 3: but it shouldn't be limited to schools that are run 44 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 3: by the government. Yes, magnet schools are a step in 45 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 3: the right direction, but every family should be able to 46 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 3: take their kids education dollars to the school that works 47 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 3: best for them, whether that's a public school, a private school, 48 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 3: a charter school, or a home based education option. 49 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: The money should follow the student. 50 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 3: And thankfully now that the teachers unions have overplayed paid 51 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 3: their hand. 52 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 2: During COVID they. 53 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 3: Fought to keep the schools closed as long as possible. 54 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 3: They woke up parents, they showed families what was happening 55 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 3: in the classroom. They were focusing more on indoctrination than education. 56 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 3: Now we have twelve states in the past three years 57 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 3: alone going all in on school choice, passing Milton Friedman's 58 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 3: vision of universal school choice. Finally, no more pick and 59 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 3: winners and losers. We've gone from zero to one hundred 60 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,239 Speaker 3: on the issue, and it's glorious to see. 61 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: I'm curious, because you have a PhD in education policy 62 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: from the University of Arkansas, have you always focused on 63 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: school choice. 64 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 2: Basically the entire time? 65 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 3: When I was doing my PhD in education policy, my 66 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 3: first study actually linked the Milwaukee voucher program. It started 67 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 3: in nineteen ninety to long term reductions in crime. I 68 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 3: had student level data from the longitudinal evaluation of the program, 69 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 3: and my co author, Patrick Wolf, who's still at the 70 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 3: University of Arkansas, he's my professor there. We looked at 71 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 3: student level data until the students became about thirty years 72 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 3: of age and found about a fifty percent reduction in 73 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 3: drug related crimes and also a thirty eight percent reduction 74 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 3: in paternity disputes. And so from the very start of 75 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,359 Speaker 3: my program at Arkansas, I was very interested in school choice. 76 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 3: Since then, I've published about thirty to forty peer reviewed 77 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 3: articles on the topic. And before I did my PhD, 78 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 3: I did a bachelor's and a master's in economics at 79 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 3: the University of Texas at San Antonio where I live now, and. 80 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 2: My advisor there was named John Merrifield. 81 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 3: He did some of the initial evaluations of some of 82 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 3: the school choice initiatives in San Antonio, Texas. They had 83 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 3: a pilot program, and he had found improvements. 84 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 2: In the public schools too. 85 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 3: So school choice has been a rising tide that lifts 86 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 3: all boats. But viewing the school system as an economist 87 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 3: really opened my eyes to the problems of monopoly power 88 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,600 Speaker 3: just imagine if you were assigned to your nearest grocery 89 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 3: store restaurant and access to another opportunity unless you moved 90 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:07,159 Speaker 3: houses or you paid twice, the restaurant could serve you 91 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,479 Speaker 3: rotten food. You'd get food poisoning, or maybe they'd even 92 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 3: have empty shelves, and you'd have no recourse because that 93 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 3: would be a monopoly scenario. And that's exactly how the 94 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 3: school system works today. And I don't really blame the 95 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 3: people in the system. I blame the system itself. And 96 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 3: we saw this play out during COVID. They got so 97 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 3: bad that the schools knew they could keep their doors 98 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 3: closed and the union bosses would keep their money flowing, 99 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 3: They keep the gravy train going, and families were kind 100 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 3: of had nowhere else to go. They were scrambling trying 101 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 3: to figure out how to get their kids into the 102 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 3: private schools that were open. They were trying to figure 103 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 3: out homeschooling. And the government schools got to keep the 104 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 3: same money. But it was even worse than that. They 105 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,559 Speaker 3: had a perverse incentive to keep the schools closed because 106 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 3: they could profit by leveraging those closures. They could hold 107 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 3: children's education host to secure billions of dollars in ransom 108 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 3: payments from taxpayers. But again they overplayed their hand and 109 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 3: awaken a sleeping giant. Parents who have become the new union, 110 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 3: the kids Union, the new special interest group in town, 111 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:16,919 Speaker 3: more of a general interest because they're fighting for their 112 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 3: own kids and they're winning on the issue. We saw 113 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:23,359 Speaker 3: how the school Boards Association tried to bully in silence 114 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 3: parents into submission when parents were pushing back at school 115 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 3: board meetings, because the unions have always told us, if 116 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 3: you disagree with what's happening in the schools, were accountable, 117 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 3: we have democratic accountability. You can show up at the 118 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 3: school board meetings, then things will be fine. Well, things 119 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 3: weren't fine. They only wanted to hear from parents if 120 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 3: we actually agreed with them, and so they tried to 121 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 3: actually weaponize the federal government. They sent a letter to 122 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,719 Speaker 3: Biden implying that parents, under the Patriot Act of all Things, 123 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 3: should be investigated for quote unquote domestic terrorism, and earlier 124 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 3: drafts of that letter actually called for the military, the 125 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 3: military and the National Guard to be deployed to school 126 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 3: board meetings to tell parents to sit down and to 127 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 3: shut up because they disagree with the status quo. Well, 128 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 3: since then, twenty six states have left the National school 129 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 3: Boards Association, so they basically imploded, and it's their own fault. 130 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 3: It's a story of optimism, really, because it shows that parents, 131 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 3: when they fight for something together, when they lock arms, 132 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 3: they can win on the issue. 133 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: Tell me just a minute, didn't share our listeners the 134 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: cost of bad education at a human level, and what 135 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: we've been doing to children by trapping them in places 136 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 1: that don't work. 137 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 3: It obviously hurts their academic outcomes. You look at Baltimore 138 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 3: Public schools, for example, they have forty percent of their 139 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 3: high schools have zero percent math proficiency rates. Not a 140 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 3: single kid can do math at grade level. And forty 141 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 3: percent of Baltimore Public schools and guess what. We spend 142 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 3: so much money money in the school system nationwide since 143 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 3: nineteen seventy, we've increased per student education expenditures by about 144 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:11,760 Speaker 3: one hundred and seventy percent after adjusting for inflation. Have 145 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 3: the outcomes gotten one hundred and seventy percent better? Obviously not, 146 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,560 Speaker 3: They've been flat or gotten worse in some cases. In 147 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 3: places like New York City, they spend about forty thousand 148 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 3: dollars per student per year. Nationwide, it's about twenty thousand 149 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 3: dollars per student per year, which is a lot of money. 150 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 3: And the private schools, on average nationwide the tuition is 151 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 3: only about twelve to thirteen thousand dollars per student per year. 152 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 3: The unions know their schools aren't working. You look at 153 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:43,600 Speaker 3: Stacy Davis Gates. She's the head of the Chicago Teachers Union. 154 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 3: Just a couple of years ago she had the audacity 155 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 3: to call school choice racist. And guess what we found 156 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 3: this year She sends her own kid to a private school. 157 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 3: I mean, the hypocrisy is never ending. We see this 158 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 3: with Joe Biden. He went to private school, he sent 159 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 3: his kids to private school. And I don't blame my 160 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 3: ideological enemies for this. Everybody should seek out the best 161 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 3: educational opportunities for their kids, but you shouldn't turn around, 162 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 3: pull the ladder up from behind yourself, and then fight 163 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 3: against educational opportunities for others. But this is not just 164 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 3: an academic failure for children. It also fails them on 165 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 3: an emotional level. We saw with the school closures. This 166 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 3: hurt kids mentally, it hurt them socially, and it also 167 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 3: led to physical changes in children as well, and this 168 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 3: can include changes in behaviors later on in life. So 169 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 3: this is why probably in our study and in five 170 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 3: other peur viewed studies that have all found more school 171 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 3: choice less likelihood to commit crime. So having a failing 172 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 3: education system does not just lower test scores. 173 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 2: It can negatively impact the. 174 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 3: Kids for the rest of their lives, and not just 175 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 3: in academic settings. It can lower their incomes. It can 176 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 3: make them more likely to end up in jail. And 177 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:01,199 Speaker 3: that also hurts the rest of the society, because if 178 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:03,320 Speaker 3: you want to be in a safe society. 179 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:04,680 Speaker 2: Crime is obviously a bad thing. 180 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 3: Having more gross domestic product is obviously a good thing 181 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 3: for a country too, And so school choice doesn't just 182 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 3: benefit you, it benefits all of society. 183 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:33,959 Speaker 1: The fact that the Baltimore City schools are so unimaginably 184 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:37,479 Speaker 1: bad and yet I think they're the third most expensive 185 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: public schools in the country per student. This is a 186 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: two level question. Part one, how do you explain how 187 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: you could have over two thousand students and not a 188 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: single one can pass math? 189 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 3: This is just how monopolies operate. They have no incentive 190 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 3: to spend additional dollars wisely, so you can spend a 191 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 3: billion dollars per kid and still get the same results 192 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:06,079 Speaker 3: if you don't fundamentally change the incentives in the system. 193 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:07,839 Speaker 2: So this is not just a. 194 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 3: Problem in Baltimore, it's other areas all across the country. 195 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,480 Speaker 3: And we found in places like Florida, where they do 196 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 3: have universal school choice, where everybody can choose to take 197 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 3: their education money wherever they want to go, whether that's 198 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 3: in the public, private, or homeschool sectors, the public schools 199 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,080 Speaker 3: have gotten a lot better. A couple decades ago, Florida 200 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 3: was at the bottom of the pack when it came 201 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 3: to the nation's report card. Now fast forward to today. 202 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 3: If you control for student demographics across states, Florida is 203 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,080 Speaker 3: the top five depending on the outcome you're looking at, 204 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 3: and guess what, They spend a lot less than the 205 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 3: national average. And there have been eleven academic studies in 206 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,319 Speaker 3: Florida too, ten of them positive. More school choice, better 207 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 3: outcomes in the public schools. It's been a rising tide 208 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 3: that lifts all boats. And the US News and World 209 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 3: Report has also came out this year showing Florida at 210 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 3: the number one ranking when it comes to their education system. 211 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:06,679 Speaker 3: So this is really a win win solution. It's not 212 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 3: just a win for the kids who get to choose. 213 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,440 Speaker 3: It obviously is a win for families who get to 214 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 3: put their kids and institutions that align with their values, 215 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 3: but it's also a win for the kids who remain 216 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,559 Speaker 3: in the traditional system too, Because school choice is a 217 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 3: rising tide that lifts all boats. Public schools have to 218 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 3: up their game in response to competition, and we see 219 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 3: this in every other industry in the country, so it 220 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:30,719 Speaker 3: shouldn't surprise us all that much when we see nationwide 221 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 3: there have been twenty nine studies on this topic, twenty 222 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 3: six of them positive. More school choice, better outcomes in 223 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:37,319 Speaker 3: the public schools. 224 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: How can you have parents who know that their children 225 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,839 Speaker 1: are trapped in a system in which no one, not 226 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: one is learning math and not have a parental rebellion 227 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:58,240 Speaker 1: in Baltimore City. What's the underlying dynamic in your judgment. 228 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,240 Speaker 3: It's starting in a lot of other But the problem 229 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 3: is education has been one of the lower rung voting issues, 230 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 3: right they added ten issues. Education is probably nine or 231 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,200 Speaker 3: ten on the list of priorities, but it doesn't always 232 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 3: need to be that way. If you have at least 233 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 3: one party leading on the issue, the other party will 234 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:19,440 Speaker 3: have to respond. And we saw this kind of play 235 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,360 Speaker 3: out in Virginia with Glenn Youngkin, the Republican in twenty 236 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:26,080 Speaker 3: twenty one, in a state that went ten points to 237 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:30,960 Speaker 3: Biden the year before. Terry mccauliffe, the Democrat, former governor 238 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 3: of the state, basically an incumbent, He lost to Glen 239 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:37,760 Speaker 3: Younkin on the issue of education by six points with 240 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 3: education voters, and that was the number two issue in 241 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:44,920 Speaker 3: the election. And that's because Terry mccaulliffe on the last 242 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:47,160 Speaker 3: debate stage, he really stepped in it. He let the 243 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:49,920 Speaker 3: mask slip when he said, I don't think parents should 244 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 3: be telling schools what they should teach, and he even 245 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 3: quadrupled down on his anti parent rhetoric right up until 246 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 3: election day. The night before the election, he had Randy 247 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:02,680 Speaker 3: Weinger and of all people stumping for him the night 248 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 3: before the election, the school closer was his campaign closer. 249 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 3: And the next day on CNN, a Virginia mom said 250 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 3: that that was quote the nail in the coffin moment 251 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 3: for her. So it could become an issue. It really 252 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 3: depends on whether the GOP wants to pick up the 253 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 3: football and become the parents party. And make it into 254 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 3: a voting issue. We saw this in Florida too with 255 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 3: DeSantis in twenty eighteen. He barely won. Not a lot 256 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,240 Speaker 3: of people remember this because in twenty twenty two he 257 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 3: won by twenty points, But in twenty eighteen, DeSantis barely 258 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 3: squeaked by a fraction of a point, and a lot 259 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 3: of people thought his Democrat opponent, Andrew Gillim, was going 260 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,040 Speaker 3: to win. The headline in the Wall Street Journal the 261 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 3: next day was that quote school choice moms tipped the 262 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 3: governor's race in Florida. They were looking at CNN exit 263 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 3: polling finding that black moms in particular came out in 264 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 3: force for DeSantis because why well, his opponent, Andrew Gillim, 265 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 3: a black DEMI crap, actually called to get rid of 266 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 3: the private school choice program in the state that was 267 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 3: successfully working for over one hundred thousand kids at the time, 268 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 3: disproportionately low income kids and non white kids as well. 269 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 2: And so the. 270 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 3: Story there is that these moms, who might have disagreed 271 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 3: with the Santis on a lot of other issues, turned 272 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 3: that into a single issue priority for them. They wanted 273 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 3: their kid to get a better education, They wanted the 274 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:30,280 Speaker 3: scholarship to have a better future for their child than 275 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 3: the opportunities that they had, So it's almost like a 276 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:36,440 Speaker 3: chicken in the egg issue. Though in Florida there's something 277 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 3: that could be taken away. In Baltimore, they don't have 278 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 3: universal school choice like they do have in Florida, so 279 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 3: that's less likely to become a huge issue. But if 280 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 3: parents do lock arms, they can become influential. The problem 281 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 3: is the Democratic Party in places like deep blue Baltimore 282 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 3: are a wholly owned subsidiary of the teachers' unions. You 283 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 3: look at Randy Weingarten's union, the American Federation of Teachers, 284 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 3: ninety nine point nine percent of her campaign contributions in 285 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 3: twenty twenty two went to Democrats. It's a money laundering operation. 286 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 3: It ought to be illegal. So while education freedom is 287 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 3: not a partisan issue among voters who ask voters, they 288 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:18,480 Speaker 3: support it, among Republicans, Democrats, and independents, there's super majority 289 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 3: support for school choice. But the union's control the elected 290 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 3: Democrats because of money and power, and politicians in too 291 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:33,200 Speaker 3: many cases respond more to power than logic or morality. 292 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 3: But if enough Democrats were smart, they'd lock arms too, 293 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 3: and the unions wouldn't be able to control them anymore. 294 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 3: There are left leaning arguments and right leaning arguments you 295 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 3: can make for school choice. It's an equalizer. The least 296 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 3: advantage are stuck in the most objectively failing government run institutions, 297 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 3: and people from all backgrounds, Republicans, Democrats, independents, all racial 298 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 3: backgrounds benefit from having more choice in education. The problem 299 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 3: is the unions. 300 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: When you look at the scale of the union money, 301 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 1: the amount of power they have, how do they amass 302 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 1: that much power. 303 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,199 Speaker 3: They get to extort funding from the taxpayers. Look at 304 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 3: how much we allocate towards K through twelve education any 305 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:19,479 Speaker 3: given year, it's about eight hundred billion dollars towards K 306 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,480 Speaker 3: through twelve education. You look at state education budgets, You 307 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 3: look at state budgets overall, it tends to be about 308 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:27,879 Speaker 3: a third to a half of the total budget that 309 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 3: an entire state allocates towards everything it goes towards the 310 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:36,240 Speaker 3: government runs school system. And so the unions they get 311 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:38,919 Speaker 3: that money funneling to them, and then they funnel it 312 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,960 Speaker 3: to campaign coffers that are run by Democrats. Ninety nine 313 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 3: point nine percent of the campaign contributions from the American 314 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:50,880 Speaker 3: Federation of Teachers for example, consistently goes to the Democrats, 315 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 3: and so it's a money laundering operation. It ought to 316 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:57,719 Speaker 3: be illegal. Public sector unions basically get to lobby against 317 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,240 Speaker 3: the public and use our own money. Again, that's why 318 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 3: even FDR called to eliminate public sector unions. In the 319 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 3: private sector, I don't really have that much problem with 320 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,679 Speaker 3: unions because look, if Walmart employees wanted to go on 321 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:13,879 Speaker 3: strike for whatever reason, well, guess what, the employer would 322 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:16,159 Speaker 3: feel the pain. But when it comes to the government 323 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 3: run school system, like we saw with COVID when they 324 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 3: closed the schools, the employers didn't feel the pain. The 325 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:26,439 Speaker 3: customers felt the pain, and so it's a failed feedback loop. 326 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:30,360 Speaker 3: You're in this never ending cycle of failure. And it's 327 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 3: because of the nature of public sector unions. How do 328 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:36,040 Speaker 3: we fix that, we get school choice instead of the 329 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 3: families feeling the pain when the unions do something wrong, 330 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,480 Speaker 3: Maybe the unions should feel that some of the pain. 331 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,640 Speaker 3: Maybe they should have skin in the game, and maybe 332 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 3: their employer, the school districts, will have some of the 333 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 3: downsides as well. Parents shouldn't be stuck in the crossfires. 334 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:53,720 Speaker 3: Kids should not be used as bargaining chips. But we've 335 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 3: seen that happen for far too long because the money 336 00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 3: does not follow the child. We can incentivize the teachers 337 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,440 Speaker 3: unions to do a better job and the districts by 338 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:06,560 Speaker 3: letting the money follow the child. Only then will the 339 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,400 Speaker 3: school system cater to the needs of families and their 340 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:11,880 Speaker 3: children as opposed to the other way around. 341 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 1: Part of that is the clear case that Catholic schools 342 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 1: seem to do dramatically better based on what you've seen 343 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 1: and looked at. Why do you think the Catholic schools 344 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:29,080 Speaker 1: do so consistently better than their public school. 345 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 3: Counterpart because of incentives? I mean, look at during the 346 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,400 Speaker 3: COVID era, they were open. The Catholic schools were open 347 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:37,919 Speaker 3: in large bar all across the country. The government schools 348 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:41,400 Speaker 3: were closed, and they cost a lot less on average 349 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 3: as well relative to the government run school So in Chicago, 350 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,600 Speaker 3: where Stacy Davis Gates, the Chicago teacher's union boss who 351 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 3: said school choice is racist, but sends her own kid 352 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:52,439 Speaker 3: to a private school, she sends her son to a 353 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:56,200 Speaker 3: Catholic school that has a tuition about fifteen thousand dollars 354 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:59,119 Speaker 3: per year. But the government run schools in Chicago that 355 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 3: are unionized spend twice as much. It's about thirty thousand 356 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 3: dollars per student per year in Chicago public schools. So 357 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,439 Speaker 3: it's not a money issue. It's an incentive issue. And 358 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 3: the Catholic schools have been around for a long time. 359 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,480 Speaker 3: There's been another study by Michael Hartney and leslie Finger, 360 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,639 Speaker 3: in fact, it's peer reviewed. They found during the COVID 361 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 3: era that in an area where you had more Catholic schools, 362 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 3: the public schools are actually more likely to open their 363 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 3: doors for business too. All else EQAL, even controlling for 364 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,159 Speaker 3: incidents of the virus and so on and so forth. 365 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,760 Speaker 3: The public schools up their game in response to competition 366 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:38,879 Speaker 3: because Catholic schools tend to be lower cost than most 367 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:43,199 Speaker 3: private schools, and parents knew that they could vote with 368 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:46,440 Speaker 3: their feet. The public schools knew that too, so because 369 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,640 Speaker 3: there was an exit option that was open, they said, 370 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:52,119 Speaker 3: maybe we should open as well, or else we're going 371 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 3: to lose some of that funding. Because public schools are 372 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 3: funded based on how many kids they have enrolled in 373 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,680 Speaker 3: the system. Catholic schools have done great. It's correct. 374 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:00,959 Speaker 2: I think. 375 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,439 Speaker 3: The Wall Street Journal reported this that if all Catholic 376 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:05,639 Speaker 3: schools were grouped together as a state, they'd be the 377 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 3: number one on the nation's report card, the number one state. 378 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 3: And if you looked over time, although the government schools 379 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 3: lost decades of learning during the COVID era from twenty 380 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 3: nineteen to twenty twenty two, Catholic schools found there was 381 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 3: no statistically significant drop in test scores for Catholic schools 382 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:28,000 Speaker 3: no matter what outcome you looked at, whether it was mather, 383 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:30,400 Speaker 3: reading or fourth or eighth grade outcomes. 384 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: I want to reinforce your point about parents. We run 385 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: a project called the America's New Majority Project, which people 386 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:41,400 Speaker 1: can see if they go online to America's New Majority 387 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:45,880 Speaker 1: Project dot com, and we asked a question about parents' 388 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: rights at eighty four percent of the country, eighty four percent, 389 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 1: more than eight out of every ten Americans believe that 390 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:55,840 Speaker 1: parents have a right to know what is going on 391 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:58,920 Speaker 1: in their children's classroom. As you know, the Teachers' Union 392 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,199 Speaker 1: is bitterly a pope to parents being able to know that. 393 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: And yet the country at large, Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, 394 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: young old, there's an eighty four percent majority in favor. 395 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:13,879 Speaker 1: I think it was eleven percent of post and in 396 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:17,199 Speaker 1: that sense, there's an underlying core cultural value that I 397 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:19,720 Speaker 1: think you sort of put your finger on that's really 398 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:23,400 Speaker 1: a big deal, and I think something that getting back 399 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,679 Speaker 1: to parents being involved is really a key part of this. 400 00:22:27,359 --> 00:22:31,359 Speaker 1: And as I understand it, in some states, the fact 401 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 1: that the private schools stayed open put enormous pressure to 402 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 1: reopen the public schools. But in states that have only 403 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:41,879 Speaker 1: a monopoly, they just stayed closed like forever. 404 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:43,000 Speaker 2: Yeah. 405 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 3: In Chicago, two weeks to slow the spread turned into 406 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,440 Speaker 3: two years to flatten a generation. 407 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 2: They were actually striking. 408 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 3: In twenty twenty two, they deleted a tweet claiming quote 409 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 3: the push to reopen schools is rooted in sexism, racism, 410 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:02,119 Speaker 3: and misogyny. They created in an interpretive dance video. It 411 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 3: was totally embarrassing to protest reopening schools. At the same time, 412 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 3: they had a board member for Chicago Teachers Union vacationing 413 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,439 Speaker 3: in Puerto Rico, thousands of miles away, while saying it 414 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 3: was too unsafe to go back to work in person. 415 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:20,000 Speaker 3: It was just so much hypocrisy on full display. In 416 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 3: Los Angeles, they had a report on reopening schools. They 417 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:25,920 Speaker 3: called for more money. We knew that was going to happen. 418 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:30,400 Speaker 3: But they also called for unrelated political demands, including police, 419 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:35,000 Speaker 3: free schools, medicare for all, a wealth tax, and guess what, 420 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 3: they also called for a ban on charter schools. All 421 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:42,119 Speaker 3: these things that had zero to do with safely reopening schools. 422 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 3: They overplayed their hand. This is partially why I actually 423 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 3: dedicated my book The Parent Revolution to Randy Wingarten and 424 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 3: the Teachers Unions for inadvertently doing more to advance school 425 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,159 Speaker 3: choice and homeschooling than anyone could have ever imagined. Because 426 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 3: families got to see that the school's curriculum wasn't aligned 427 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 3: with their values through the Zoom school that was a 428 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:08,600 Speaker 3: failure in so many ways. Academically, parents got to look 429 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 3: at the political and doctrination that was injected into the schools, 430 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:18,560 Speaker 3: the Marxist ideologies that were dividing children based on immutable characteristics. 431 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,800 Speaker 2: We now have twelve states. 432 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:26,240 Speaker 3: With universal school choice, and in twenty twenty we had zero. 433 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,000 Speaker 3: So we've come so far in such a short amount 434 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 3: of time. We've had more advancements on the school choice 435 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 3: front in the past three years than we've had in 436 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:39,560 Speaker 3: the preceding three decades. It's hard to overstate how far 437 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 3: we've come, and I think the unions are so drunk 438 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:45,000 Speaker 3: on power and they have been for so long, they're 439 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,520 Speaker 3: not going to be able to reverse course. And ultimately 440 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,280 Speaker 3: that's good news for parents and families in the long run, 441 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 3: and that it's only going to continue adding fuel to 442 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 3: the fire. 443 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:58,120 Speaker 2: For the parent revolution. 444 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:01,000 Speaker 3: And my hope is that the more that the GOP 445 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 3: leans into parental rights as a political winner, the more 446 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 3: it becomes a form of political suicide for Democrats to 447 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:11,720 Speaker 3: oppose it. We saw what happened with Terry mccauliffe in Virginia, 448 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 3: We've seen what happened with the National School Boards Association, 449 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,440 Speaker 3: and in my home state of Texas, it's really become 450 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 3: a GOP litmus test issue. We passed universal school choice 451 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 3: through the Senate last year easily. 452 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:25,360 Speaker 2: Eighteen to thirteen. 453 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 3: The bill moved over to the House, where twenty one 454 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 3: so called Republicans voted with all the Democrats against their 455 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:33,800 Speaker 3: own party platform issue of school choice and killed the 456 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,959 Speaker 3: bill despite it being pushed very heavily by an education 457 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 3: freedom fighter in my state, the Governor Greg Abbott. Well, 458 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,919 Speaker 3: guess what after the primaries. Out of those twenty one 459 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 3: guys who voted against school choice. 460 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 2: Fourteen of them are. 461 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 3: Gone, which basically never happens. Incumbents usually win ninety five 462 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:53,320 Speaker 3: percent of the time. That trend has been inverted in Texas. 463 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 3: It was a political earthquake, and that's ultimately going to 464 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 3: lead to some Democrats saying, look, we're losing votes on 465 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 3: the issue, maybe we should come along too. And we 466 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,639 Speaker 3: saw that in Louisiana, which Louisiana just became the twelfth 467 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 3: state to pass universal school choice. It's the most recent 468 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,880 Speaker 3: one to do so this year, with Governor Landry signing 469 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 3: very recently and twenty percent of their House Democrats actually 470 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 3: voted for the bill. They didn't need a single Democrat 471 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 3: to vote for it. They had supermajorities of Republicans. They 472 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 3: passed the bill very easily through both chambers. But we 473 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:30,440 Speaker 3: now have some Democrats defecting on the issue. Josh Shapiro 474 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:34,080 Speaker 3: in Pennsylvania, he was up in the polls by double 475 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,800 Speaker 3: digits in twenty twenty two when he was running for governor. 476 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 3: He was the attorney general at the time, and guess 477 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:43,120 Speaker 3: what his opponent, Doug Mastrano, started calling Josh Shapiro, the Democrat, 478 00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:46,240 Speaker 3: a hypocrite on the issue. Doug Mostrano said, well, look, 479 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:47,439 Speaker 3: you went to private school. 480 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,119 Speaker 2: I support school choice, why don't you. You seem to 481 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 2: be a hypocrite on the issue. 482 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 3: Coincidentally, right after that, Josh Shapiro changed his education platform 483 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:59,919 Speaker 3: to include private school choice. He actually even went on 484 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:03,920 Speaker 3: Fox News the year afterwards, in twenty twenty three, reiterating 485 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,159 Speaker 3: his support for school choice, and he's still doing so 486 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:09,520 Speaker 3: this year as well. He ultimately cave to the teachers' unions, 487 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:12,040 Speaker 3: who gave him over seven hundred thousand dollars to his 488 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:16,000 Speaker 3: campaign in twenty twenty two. But the reason I bring 489 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 3: that up is it reminds me of something that Milton 490 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:20,480 Speaker 3: Freeman said long ago. He said that the way that 491 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:24,119 Speaker 3: you change things is not by getting the right people 492 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,480 Speaker 3: into office. Obviously that can help, but they vote for 493 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:29,639 Speaker 3: the right policies. But Milton Freeman said, the way that 494 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 3: you truly change things is by creating a climate of 495 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 3: opinion where it becomes politically profitable for the wrong people 496 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:41,000 Speaker 3: to do the right thing. And I think we're reaching 497 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:44,400 Speaker 3: escape velocity on school choice. I don't know when California 498 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 3: is going to get it done, but look, we've had 499 00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 3: defections in states like North Carolina, and Georgia. Sitting legislators 500 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,719 Speaker 3: in the House of Representatives of both states have flipped 501 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:57,200 Speaker 3: from the Democrat party to the GOP on the issue 502 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:00,119 Speaker 3: of school choice, and we saw this in Missouri there 503 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:04,919 Speaker 3: were consequential votes from Democrats this year to expand school choice. 504 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,080 Speaker 3: In Nebraska, they passed their first school choice program this 505 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:10,960 Speaker 3: year and they had a consequential vote from a Democrat 506 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:14,880 Speaker 3: named Justin Wayne. These are movements in the right direction. 507 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:19,920 Speaker 3: This is bipartisan support that I welcome, and hopefully, through 508 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,919 Speaker 3: hyper partisanship in the short run, it will lead to 509 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,879 Speaker 3: bipartisan support among elected officials in the long run. 510 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 1: We've talked about school choice, but what about the dramatic 511 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:49,560 Speaker 1: increase in homeschooling that seemed to come out of COVID. 512 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:54,160 Speaker 1: What's your personal feeling about homeschooling and how significant a 513 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,440 Speaker 1: part of this story is homeschooling. 514 00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 2: I think that's huge. 515 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,760 Speaker 3: I think it is the purest form of raising your 516 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,560 Speaker 3: own kids and not outsourcing it to a private entity 517 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 3: or a government run entity. I'm all bored with homeschooling, 518 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 3: But when it comes to school choice, look, I think 519 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 3: it really depends on the individual family and what they 520 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:17,240 Speaker 3: can figure out to work for their own situation. This 521 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 3: isn't public versus private, This isn't homeschooling versus government run schooling. 522 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:25,600 Speaker 3: This is about choice and families having the opportunity that 523 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 3: works best for them. I think homeschooling has a lot 524 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 3: of benefits, though, I mean a lot of people might say, oh, well, 525 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 3: you know. 526 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,040 Speaker 2: There might not be as much socialization. Well, guess what. 527 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 3: A lot of the socialization that I experienced in government 528 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 3: run schools is not a positive form of socialization. So 529 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,680 Speaker 3: the drugs, the gang activity, the fights. We had kids 530 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 3: playing a game that they call ten seconds that was 531 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:50,240 Speaker 3: popular at my middle school. And what it was where 532 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:52,880 Speaker 3: you would just fight for ten seconds and that was 533 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 3: the name of the game. And people were getting rolled 534 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 3: into gangs in the bathrooms. That's socialization of a form, 535 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:02,000 Speaker 3: but it's not as form of socialization that I want 536 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:04,640 Speaker 3: for my kids. You can also learn more at a 537 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 3: fraction of the time, and you can also capitalize on 538 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,680 Speaker 3: positive forms of socialization. You can enroll your kid in 539 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:16,360 Speaker 3: a sport. You can have homeschool co ops or hybrid homeschooling, 540 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:20,640 Speaker 3: so you can integrate socialization as well while still getting 541 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 3: the one on one benefits of homeschooling at the same time, 542 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 3: so there's better ways and not as good ways to 543 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 3: do it. 544 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's probably too radical a concept for this particular conversation, 545 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 1: but the truth is, prior to the relatively recent past, 546 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:40,040 Speaker 1: you didn't have adolescens. You were a child and then 547 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,080 Speaker 1: you're an adult, and as an adult, you did adult things. 548 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,560 Speaker 1: And what we've done is we've trapped millions of kids 549 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:50,160 Speaker 1: right around puberty into sitting in rooms where they're bored 550 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 1: and where we have allowed them to create their own culture. 551 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:55,720 Speaker 1: And it's a little bit like Lord of the Flies. 552 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: I mean, having teenagers define a culture is a truly 553 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 1: dumb idea. 554 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 2: I agree. 555 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:03,800 Speaker 3: I think the factory model of schooling can cause a 556 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 3: lot of problems too, particularly for young boys, where they're 557 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:09,719 Speaker 3: taught that if they're fidgeting or if not just sitting 558 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:13,400 Speaker 3: there listening to the instructor, that they have a problem 559 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:13,880 Speaker 3: with them. 560 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 2: And that's not to say that like ADHD. 561 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:18,680 Speaker 3: Is not a real issue, but it's just more likely 562 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:20,880 Speaker 3: to happen to where if you try to claim that 563 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,880 Speaker 3: this kid has a problem because they're fidgeting, you might 564 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,840 Speaker 3: lead to over medication. In the public school system, of 565 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:28,360 Speaker 3: young children at the same time. 566 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 1: There's no question in my mind Winston Churchill in the 567 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:35,560 Speaker 1: modern schools would have been heavily medicated by the fourth 568 00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:38,959 Speaker 1: grade and would not have become Winston Churchill because they 569 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:43,160 Speaker 1: kept him too doped up, because he was really very difficult. 570 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, And if you look at the history of the 571 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,640 Speaker 3: compulsory government run school system in America, the roots came 572 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:54,000 Speaker 3: from modern day Germany Prussia. Horace Man, the father of 573 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:57,320 Speaker 3: public education in America, went over to Prussia in the 574 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:01,040 Speaker 3: nineteenth century. The whole idea came from there, where the 575 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:07,240 Speaker 3: compulsory school system started to create obedient soldiers and obedient 576 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:11,000 Speaker 3: factory workers. And so when you see that outcomes aren't 577 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 3: doing that great here in America today, when you see that, 578 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:16,720 Speaker 3: it seems to be more about paying attention and listening 579 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:19,240 Speaker 3: to the current trend, and it happens to be a 580 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:23,120 Speaker 3: left leaning trend today, where that's the accepted ideology in 581 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:27,080 Speaker 3: the school system that it's more about agreeing with them 582 00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:30,280 Speaker 3: than it is about actually learning things. And some of 583 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,480 Speaker 3: the educators are more like indoctrinators. This isn't all of them, 584 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,440 Speaker 3: but some of them have gotten into it to control 585 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 3: the minds of other people's children and to raise them 586 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:43,080 Speaker 3: in their socialist worldview. Again, that's not everybody, but that 587 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 3: is a huge problem when it does happen to your kids, 588 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:48,760 Speaker 3: and it shouldn't surprise us all that much when. 589 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:50,440 Speaker 2: We look at the roots of the government school system. 590 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:54,440 Speaker 3: So I'm happy that homeschooling has basically at least doubled 591 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,880 Speaker 3: relative to pre pandemic levels, and the government school system 592 00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:00,520 Speaker 3: is not happy about that. But look, you play stupid games, 593 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:03,960 Speaker 3: you win stupid prizes. They fought to keep the doors closed, 594 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:07,320 Speaker 3: and parents figured out, hey, my kid's less anxious, they're 595 00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 3: doing a better job, they're learning more at the fraction 596 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:13,280 Speaker 3: of the time, and a lot of families who might 597 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,080 Speaker 3: not have ever tried homeschooling figured out that it could 598 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 3: actually work. 599 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:20,120 Speaker 1: I think that's exactly right, Love, Corey. I want to 600 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 1: thank you for joining me in your new book, The 601 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: Parent Revolution, Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our 602 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: Schools is available now on Amazon and in bookstores everywhere. 603 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: I think it's a must read book for any parent 604 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,440 Speaker 1: concerned about their child's education today, and I want to 605 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:40,320 Speaker 1: let our listeners know they can find out more about 606 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:45,960 Speaker 1: your organization, Educational Freedom Institute by visiting your website at 607 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:47,760 Speaker 1: Efinstitute dot org. 608 00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:49,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you so much for having me. 609 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:56,560 Speaker 1: Thank you to my guest Corey. To Angelis, you can 610 00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 1: get a link to buy his new book, The Parent 611 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:03,200 Speaker 1: Revolution on our show page at newsworld dot com. News 612 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 1: World is produced by Ginger three sixty and iHeartMedia. Our 613 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:12,160 Speaker 1: executive producer is Guernsey Sloan. Our researcher is Rachel Peterson. 614 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,720 Speaker 1: The artwork for the show was created by Steve Penley. 615 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:19,880 Speaker 1: Special thanks to the team at Gingrish three sixty. If 616 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:22,080 Speaker 1: you've been enjoying news World, I hope you'll go to 617 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 1: Apple Podcast and both rate us with five stars and 618 00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,200 Speaker 1: give us a review so others can learn what it's 619 00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 1: all about. Right now, listeners of news World can sign 620 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:36,400 Speaker 1: up for my three free weekly columns at gingletree sixty 621 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:40,839 Speaker 1: dot com slash newsletter. I'm Newt Gingrich. This is NEWT World.