School Reform News Podcast

Latest Episodes:

More Education Funding Does Not Improve Education Outcomes Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

Lennie Jarratt, director of the Center for Education Opportunities, was a guest on The Monica Jaye Show on 99.1FM Talk in Reno Nevada. Jaye and Jarratt discussed the Research & Commentary: More Education Funding Does Not Improve Education Outcomes. Jarratt shared how more spending does not equal better performance, the remediation required for college students, what the real effects of taxing the rich are, how money is going to support staff instead of the classroom, and the myths teachers and legislators claim education choice drains money from public schools. Jarratt and Jaye discussed how education choice is the only solution to stopping the never ending requests for more money and the anti-capitalism indoctrination happening in government run schools.

National Parents Union: Connecting and Supporting Parents (Guests: Keri Rodrigues and Alma Marquez) Jan 28, 2020

Show notes

Education project manager Lennie Jarratt invites Keri Rodrigues and Alma Marquez, co-founders of the National Parents Union (NPU), onto this edition of the School Reform News podcast. The two discuss how parents are coming together in the NPU to ensure parents have a voice in supporting their children against the massive lobby of the teachers’ unions and those interested in the status quo. Learn about the five goals of the NPU and how you can help assist in their efforts at nationalparentsunion.org.

55 Important Words from the Declaration of Independence (Guest: Rep. Dan Caulkins) Jan 21, 2020

Show notes

Illinois Rep. Caulkins discussed the importance of the 55 words from the Declaration of Independence that he proposes should be memorized in public schools because it highlights how our rights don’t come from government with hosts Lennie Jarratt and Chris Talgo. In addition, we discuss he discussed how the “education system has lost sight of its purpose,” and how these words are a common thread for all Americans.

The required #55Words:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Best Practices for Lawmakers on Education Choice Policy (Guest: Jason Bedrick) Dec 18, 2019

Show notes

EdChoice has developed an Education Policy Toolkit that shares the best practices for lawmakers to use when creating education choice programs. Listen asJason Bedrick, director of policy at EdChoice discuss policy scope, accountability, private school participation, testing, and which funding mechanism and implementation best practices for vouchers, education savings accounts, or tax-credit scholarships. (https://www.edchoice.org/edchoice-policy-toolkit/)

CLT: An Alternative to the Common Core Aligned SAT and ACT (Guests: Jeremy Tate and Keith Nix) Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

The Classing Learning Test (CLT) is an alternative to the Common Core aligned ACT and SAT. It is designed to be a rigorous test that measures quality of knowledge and understanding instead of being a watered down cursory review aimed at making students feel good about themselves. Jeremy Tate, president and CEO of CLT, and Keith Nix, head of the Veritas School in Richmond Virginia and CLT board member, discuss the importance of the test and the release of first Top 25 High Schools, ranked by median CLT scoring. See the list (https://blog.cltexam.com/2019-high-school-rankings/) and learn more about the CLT (cltexam.org).

West Virginia Teachers Get Paid to Skip School (Guest: Tim Benson) Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

Policy Analyst Tim Benson discusses how over half of West Virginia teachers are chronically absent each school year and more than 10 percent miss more than 20 days. In essence, if students miss the same number of days parents can be fined or go to jail, while teachers continue to get paid.

This chronic absenteeism harms students education by reducing “‘instructional intensity’ by creating ‘discontinuities of instruction.’” Test scores bear this out with “only 46 percent tested to grade level in reading, while just 39 percent did so in mathematics.” When compared to charter schools, over a third less teachers were marked with chronic absenteeism.

For more information on this topic, visit: https://www.heartland.org/publications-resources/publications/research--commentary-west-virginia-public-schools-suffer-because-teachers-are-always-absent

Chicago Teacher Strike: Rewarding Failure (Guests: Tim Benson and Chris Talgo) Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

The Chicago Teachers Union strike is a political gambit to reward the abject failure the CTU to educate the children of Chicago. Only about three in 10 district students are proficient in math and reading. They demand outrageous benefits such as affordable housing and a charter school moratorium. These completely skirt the democratic process around the democratic process on top of being completely unnecessary.

If Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools cave, average teacher salary would rise to $100,000 per year, force major tax hikes with the city, and a call for a bailout from every citizen across Illinois.

Rise of Socialism on Campus (Guest: Charlie Copeland of ISI) Oct 07, 2019

Show notes

According to a recent Axios poll, just 40 percent of Millennials and Generation Z have a favorable opinion of capitalism, 61 percent have a positive reaction to the word “socialism,” and half say they’d prefer to live in a socialist country. This is because socialism is sold as “compassionate.” As the right thing to do. As caring about the welfare of your fellow man – especially those struggling economically. How does the right battle that false perception? How do they communicate that socialism means the surrender of your liberty?

Despite the trends, Copeland explains why he is optimistic about the future, and why socialism does not have to be the future of America.

Protecting Students through Child Safety Accounts (Guest: Congressman Jim Banks) Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Congressman Jim Banks joined us to discuss his plan to make students safer in Washington DC schools, allowing them to escape bullying, violence, and unsafe schools through Child Safety Accounts (H.R. 2538). Banks talked about the Federal role in education and how he hoped this concept could be a model in the states to protect even more students. He shared how the families in his district encouraged him with their stories of what the Indiana school choice programs meant for their lives.

The School Choice Roadmap (Guest: Andrew Campanella) Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week, discusses his new book, “The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child”. Andrew discusses he wrote the book after many discussions with parents and school leaders. He explains how parents are the real experts in how their children learn and should be educated. He removed the education jargon to lay out a step by step guide for parents to empower them to make an informed decision on the best school for their child.

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