It’s back-to-school season, and the very meaning of a proper education seems to be more up for grabs than ever before. K-12 education is still bobbing in the long, tumultuous wake of pandemic lockdowns that invited unprecedented parental scrutiny of what happens in the classroom, resulted in years of learning loss, and catapulted schools into the political and cultural arena.
We’ve invited on Deb Fillman, creator of the fascinating Substack The Reason We Learn, because she offers sharp, critical analysis of the current state of American schools informed by a blend of her real-world experience as a teacher, tutor, and homeschool parent and her philosophical commitment to individualism and free and critical thought, all of which she believes are under sustained attack. We also debate whether Fillman is correct in her opposition to school choice programs.
0:00—Introduction
2:48—Defining a good school
6:01—The literacy crisis in education
8:55—Teaching methods and their impact
12:00—The importance of the Western canon
14:47—Digital age and reading habits
21:09—Socioeconomic disparities in education
24:05—The future of education and equity
37:05—Ideological capture in education
41:29—The role of ethnic studies in schools
48:58—The complexity of historical narratives
54:50—The shift in educational focus
01:01:08—The rise of collectivism in education
01:07:55—The evolution of identity politics
01:10:56—Fillman’s critique of school choice programs
01:30:54—A question Fillman thinks more people should be asking
Mentioned in the podcast:
“Not-so-great expectations: Students are reading fewer books in English class,” by Sharon Lurye
“Teaching Teens to Think in a World That Doesn’t Want Them To,” by Deb Fillman
Voices: An ethnic studies curriculum
“American Kids Are Functionally Illiterate, and Only Their Parents Can Fix It,” by Tim White
- Producer: John Osterhoudt
