#52: Is ‘Distance Learning’ A Time Bomb For Public Schools? Heritage’s Education Expert Explains!


It’s week 18 of the “two week” pandemic lockdown and it’s nearly August!  Kids should be thinking about going back to school but in a lot of the country they won’t be.  In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has made it nearly impossible for students to return to in person classes and in Los Angeles nearly 33% (one THIRD) of all students never logged on to an online class.   

The pandemic is robbing students of years of learning and critical socialization with their peers.   On today’s podcast we’re joined by Lindsey Burke who is the Heritage Foundation’s top education expert.  She shows how lawmakers can use the pandemic to radically change education for the better but the reality is that Unions are in danger of changing education policy for the worse. 

Lindsay points out that the closures are an opportunity to implement school choice legislation that could allow students to return to class even if their local districts refuse to open. Thats Freedom.  The “science” about reopening is very clear — students are not at risk of COVID-19 and teachers are at a minimal risk.  Countries around the world have reopened their schools and yet the United States is behind because of partisan politics.  

 Leftist teachers unions have taken advantage of the pandemic to advance their own radical agendas, including the California teachers’ union that produced a “wish list” for the future of education in the state. Lindsey also fills us in on some of the more innovative approaches to education around the world, including “pods,” education vouchers, and school choice legislation.   

Also on today’s episode we correct the record on the late John Lewis. It’s a story you won’t see anywhere else. Although he spent much of his early life advancing the noble causes of Civil Rights, he later squandered this political capital lying and accusing Tea Party supporters of calling him racist names. Phelim remembers how his friend Andrew Breitbart led the fight to expose the slur.  

Recipe for Halibut “En Papillote”: https://unreportedstorysociety.com/halibut-en-papillote/

Charles Baudelaire’s Fleurs du mal: https://unreportedstorysociety.com/charles-baudelaires-fleurs-du-mal/