Trapped In the Public Schools

Minnesota’s public schools are awful: only 36% of the state’s 11th graders can do math at grade level, to cite just one appalling statistic. Even worse is that the schools are not safe. Violence is rife, teachers are routinely insulted and ignored by students, and chaos reigns. I take it that this is at least partly the result of discipline quotas imposed by Minnesota’s state government, in imitation of one of the Obama administration’s worst initiatives.

My good friend Sheila Qualls has created a five-part podcast series under the auspices of Alpha News, a close ally of American Experiment. The series is titled “Trapped!: Chaos In The Classroom,” and consists mostly of interviews with teachers, parents and students who detail the awful–and frequently dangerous–conditions that prevail in Minnesota’s public schools. This is Episode 1:

You can listen to all episodes of Sheila’s podcast here. Episode 2, titled “The proven failures of restorative justice,” just came out this morning.

Minnesota’s schools may be particularly bad, and they will stay bad as long as they are run by a far-left teachers’ union. But don’t assume that your state’s are much better.

Around the country, legislatures, driven by parents’ desire for better and safer education, are broadening opportunities for school choice, freeing kids from the public schools. Six states have now adopted universal school choice, at least two during the current legislative year. More states have adopted limited versions of school choice, and legislation to expand education alternatives is pending in many states.

American Experiment has been fighting for school choice for more than 30 years. The battle goes on, notwithstanding teachers’ union majorities in both houses of Minnesota’s legislature. On May 10, a coalition of local pro-choice groups is hosting Corey DeAngelis of the American Federation For Children at an evening event in St. Paul:

If you live within reasonable proximity, you can learn more about the event and sign up to attend here.

The good news is that school choice is coming. The bad news is that it took incompetent and dangerous public schools to make it happen.

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