Editorial Staff

Wall Street Journal Columnist Jason Riley on the 2020 Election, School Choice, & Race in America

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by Editorial Staff
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on
LinkedIn
+

This week on “The Learning Curve,” Cara and Gerard are joined by Jason Riley, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Jason shares insights on the 2020 election, its implications, and how President-elect Biden may govern on K-12 education. They discuss the likely direction of policymaking with regard to charter public schools and school choice, and the influence of the teachers’ unions. Jason offers thoughts about the George Floyd tragedy and protests, the state of race relations across America, and how political, media, civic, and religious leaders could address the country’s deep divisions. Lastly, Jason shares lessons on race, economics, and education from Dr. Thomas Sowell, the subject of his forthcoming biography.

Story of the Week: Dr. Thomas Sowell, Hoover Institution Senior Fellow, describes the legal and regulatory barriers, promoted by the powerful and self-interested teachers’ unions, that prevent more students from attending the charter public schools that are successfully educating low-income minority children across America.

Note: This episode was recorded on Friday, Nov. 6th.

Guest:

Jason Riley is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, and a commentator for Fox News. He is a recipient of the 2018 Bradley Prize. After joining the Journal in 1994, he was named a senior editorial writer in 2000 and a member of the editorial board in 2005. Riley writes opinion pieces on politics, economics, education, immigration, and race. He also speaks frequently on ABC, NBC, CNN, PBS, and NPR. Riley is the author of Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders (2008), which argues for a more free-market-oriented U.S. immigration policy; and Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed (2014), which discusses the track record of government efforts to help the black underclass. His most recent book, False Black Power? (2017), is an assessment of why black political success has not translated into more economic success. He has also worked for USA Today and the Buffalo News. Riley holds a B.A. in English from SUNY-Buffalo.?

The next episode will air on Wednesday, November 18th, 2020 at 12 pm ET with guest, Wayne Franklin, professor of English at the University of Connecticut and the definitive biographer of the American literary figure James Fenimore Cooper.

Tweet of the Week:

News Link:

RealClearPolitics: “Black Education Matters,” by Thomas Sowell

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/10/30/black_education_matters_144570.html

Get Updates on Our Education Research

Related Posts:

Amanda McMullen on the New Bedford Whaling Museum

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Amanda McMullen, President & CEO of the New Bedford Whaling Museum (NBWM). Ms. McMullen explores NBWM’s remarkable mission, collections, and economic impact on the Southcoast of Massachusetts. She discusses NBWM’s historical roots in the 19th-century Yankee whaling industry that made New Bedford the wealthiest city in the world per capita.

Ben Moynihan & Bill Crombie on Algebra Project, Bob Moses, & Civil Rights

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Benjamin Moynihan, Executive Director, and, William Crombie, Director of Professional Development, for the Algebra Project, Inc. Mr. Moynihan and Mr. Crombie reflect on the life and legacy of Civil Rights era icon, and math educator, Bob Moses. They trace Moses’s journey from a Harlem upbringing and elite liberal arts education to his transformative grassroots activism in 1960s Mississippi, organizing Black voter registration and co-directing the Freedom Summer Project 1964. They discuss his collaboration with Mississippi sharecropper and Civil Rights era legend Fannie Lou Hamer, and his principled departure from the U.S. to raise a family and teach math in Tanzania, where his educational vision deepened.

NYT Bestseller Jane Leavy on Babe Ruth, Baseball, & 1920s Celebrity

In this special episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Charlie Chieppo interview New York Times bestselling American sportswriter, biographer, and author Jane Leavy.  Ms. Leavy offers a vivid exploration of Babe Ruth’s life and towering legacy. Leavy sheds new light on Ruth’s difficult Baltimore childhood, his formative years at St. Mary’s Industrial School, and his remarkable early success as a star pitcher with the Boston Red Sox.

AUS U-Adelaide’s Wilfrid Prest on Sir William Blackstone & Anglo-American Common Law

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Ret. MN Justice Barry Anderson speak with Wilfrid Prest, Emeritus Professor and Visiting Research Fellow in History and Law at the University of Adelaide in Australia, and biographer of Sir William Blackstone, among the most influential figures in the history of English common law. Prof. Prest discusses Blackstone’s formative years in mid-18th-century London and at Pembroke College, Oxford, where a classical education, Enlightenment thought, and legal scholarship shaped his intellectual path.

GO Tutor Corps’ Michael Duffy on Charter Public Schools & High-Dosage Tutoring

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy and U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng, speak with Michael Duffy, President of GO Tutor Corps, a nonprofit dedicated to closing achievement gaps through high-dosage tutoring in low-income communities. Mr. Duffy shares insights from his distinguished career in public service and education reform, beginning in Massachusetts state government under Governor Bill Weld and later in Boston’s charter school movement.

Pulitzer Winner Rick Atkinson on the American Revolution’s 250th Anniversary

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy and Kelley Brown, a Massachusetts U.S. history and civics teacher, interview Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson, author of The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777. Mr. Atkinson explores the rise and fall of British imperial power in North America, the radical leadership of the American patriot Samuel Adams, and the early military struggles of General George Washington and the Continental Army. He discusses the brutal battlefield realities faced by Continental soldiers, the pivotal roles of Lafayette and the French alliance, and the ideological stakes of America's War for Independence. As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the April 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord, Atkinson reflects on the Revolution’s lasting lessons about civic sacrifice, liberty, and the meaning of American democratic ideals. 

Harvard Law’s Amb. Mary Ann Glendon on In the Courts of Three Popes

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Pioneer's Mary Connaughton interview Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard Law professor emerita and former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. Ambassador Glendon reflects on her formative education, mentors, and how law and faith have shaped her worldview. She discusses her admiration for Western Civilization’s intellectual and spiritual heritage—especially Cicero, Edmund Burke, and the harmony of Catholicism with reason. 

Dr. Sheila Harrity on Worcester Tech & MA’s Urban Voc-Tech Schools

Dr. Harrity shares insights from her distinguished career in voc-tech schooling. She discusses how Massachusetts voc-tech schools leveraged provisions of the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act to achieve academic and occupational excellence, built strong partnerships with industry and higher ed, and dramatically reduced dropout rates. Dr. Harrity reflects on Worcester Tech’s national acclaim, VIP visits from President Barack Obama and the late former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, and school reform policy challenges, while offering three key strategies to strengthen urban voc-techs nationwide.

Brown’s Pulitzer Winner Gordon Wood on the American Revolution’s 250th Anniversary

Prof. Wood explores the pivotal events and ideas that sparked the American Revolution. He discusses the political tensions of 1775, King George III’s imperial policies, and the colonists’ transformation from subjects to citizens. Wood highlights Benjamin Franklin’s rise, James Otis’s speech against the writs of assistance, and George Washington’s crucial military leadership. He also reflects on overlooked Revolutionary era patriots like Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and George Mason, the role of Minutemen, and how Lexington and Concord galvanized the colonies towards American Independence.

Jeffrey Meyers on F. Scott Fitzgerald & The Great Gatsby’s 100th Anniversary

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Dr. Helen Baxendale interview noted literary biographer, Dr. Jeffrey Meyers. Dr. Meyers discusses The Great Gatsby on its 100th anniversary. He explores F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tragic life, his marriage to Zelda, and how their tumultuous relationship shaped his iconic novel. Dr. Meyers delves into the timeless themes of Gatsby’s yearning, the elusive American Dream, and 1920s decadence while analyzing major characters and symbols like Daisy, the green light, and Gatsby’s reinvention of himself. He also reflects on Fitzgerald’s later struggles and enduring literary legacy. In closing, Dr. Meyers reads a passage from his biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Hoover’s Dr. James Lynn Woodworth on CREDO, NCES, & Data-Driven Policy

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy and U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng interview Dr. James Lynn Woodworth, research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and former commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Dr. Woodworth discusses the role of data in shaping K-12 education policy. He explores the impact of assessments like NAEP, PISA, and TIMSS on global education trends, the challenges of declining U.S. student performance, and the uncertain effectiveness of federal K-12 spending.

UK’s Dr. Paula Byrne on Jane Austen’s 250th Anniversary

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy and Helen Baxendale celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth with Dr. Paula Byrne, Lady Bate, a distinguished biographer and literary critic. Dr. Byrne explores the key influences that shaped Austen’s life, the major themes of her novels, and the enduring relevance of heroines like Elizabeth Bennet and Elinor Dashwood. She also shares insights from her books The Real Jane Austen and The Genius of Jane Austen, shedding light on Austen’s love of theater and the lasting appeal of her works in Hollywood.

EdChoice’s Robert Enlow on School Choice

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice. Mr. Enlow discusses his decades of leadership in school choice advocacy, from his early work with the Milton and Rose Friedman Foundation to spearheading policy reforms nationwide.

Frontier Institute’s Trish Schreiber on School Choice & Charter Schools in Montana

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Trish Schreiber, senior fellow in education at the Frontier Institute in Montana. Schreiber shares her journey from Silicon Valley to Montana and her passion for expanding educational opportunities.

UK Oxford’s Robin Lane Fox on Homer & The Iliad

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy and Dr. Helen Baxendale interview Robin Lane Fox, distinguished classicist and Emeritus Fellow at Oxford. Prof. Lane Fox offers profound insights into Homer’s Iliad and its enduring significance. He explores the epic’s historical and literary context, from its roots in oral tradition to its lasting influence on Western culture.

Director/Actor Samuel Lee Fudge on Marcus Garvey & Pan-Africanism

https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/3809857/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/64587551/thelearningcurve_samuelleefudge.mp3 In…

Cornell’s Margaret Washington on Sojourner Truth, Abolitionism, & Women’s Rights

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Margaret Washington, the esteemed historian and author of Sojourner Truth’s America. Prof. Washington delves into Truth’s remarkable life, from her early years in slavery in New York to her transformation into a powerful abolitionist, women’s rights advocate, and religiously driven reformer. She explores Northern slavery, the Second Great Awakening, her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, and her Civil War-era activism. Prof. Washington also reflects on Truth’s enduring legacy as a symbol of justice, equality, and resilience in American history. In closing, Prof. Washington reads a passage from her book, Sojourner Truth’s America.

UK Oxford & ASU’s Sir Jonathan Bate on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet & Love

In this special St. Valentine's Day episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview renowned Shakespeare scholar Professor Sir Jonathan Bate to discuss the timeless tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Exploring its enduring greatness, Sir Jonathan delves into Shakespeare’s classical influences, particularly Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and how Elizabethan literature shaped the portrayal of lovers. 

Steven Wilson on The Lost Decade: Returning to the Fight for Better Schools in America

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Steven Wilson, a senior fellow at Pioneer Institute and a leading voice in education reform. Mr. Wilson discusses his journey into K-12 education policy, reflecting on his early work with Gov. Bill Weld and the landmark 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA), which helped propel the state’s schools to national and international success. He explores the intersection of K-12 curricula with race- and class-based politics and discusses themes from his upcoming book, The Lost Decade.

Steven Wilson on The Lost Decade: Returning to the Fight for Better Schools in America

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Steven Wilson, a senior fellow at Pioneer Institute and a leading voice in education reform. Mr. Wilson discusses his journey into K-12 education policy, reflecting on his early work with Gov. Bill Weld and the landmark 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA), which helped propel the state’s schools to national and international success. He explores the intersection of K-12 curricula with race- and class-based politics and discusses themes from his upcoming book, The Lost Decade.