E122: Are Schools Failing Our Kids? The Data Says Yes - w/ Rick Hess
El Podcast1 Mar 2025

E122: Are Schools Failing Our Kids? The Data Says Yes - w/ Rick Hess

AEI’s Rick Hess joins Jesse for a wide-ranging conversation on the collapse of academic performance in American schools. They unpack why test scores haven’t recovered since the pandemic, the long-term impact of smartphones, and why nearly 1 in 4 students are now chronically absent. Hess also explains how schools are often structured more for the convenience of adults than the learning needs of children, and why $190 billion in federal aid has done little to reverse the decline.

Topics include:

  • The shocking truth behind the Nation’s Report Card
  • Cellphones, social media, and the student attention crisis
  • Why school starts at 7 a.m. (hint: it’s not for kids)
  • How remote learning exposed classroom priorities
  • The rise of activism over academics in K–12
  • Higher ed dysfunction: grade inflation, adjunct labor, and disappearing rigor
  • What America can learn from Mississippi, Utah, and South Korea
  • Bold reforms to redesign teaching, mentoring, and student achievement

📺Watch full episode➡️https://youtu.be/efWNwt1J6Sw

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

Thanks for listening!

Episoder(188)

I Left Germany for Spain — Now I’m Leaving Europe (E189)

I Left Germany for Spain — Now I’m Leaving Europe (E189)

One-line summary: Chris Consultant joins Jesse to explain why he is leaving Germany, arguing that high taxes, bureaucracy, demographic decline, energy policy failures, and shrinking free speech have m...

10 Mar 1h 31min

Do Patients Want “Diversity” or Competence? | Dr. Stephen Kershnar (E188)

Do Patients Want “Diversity” or Competence? | Dr. Stephen Kershnar (E188)

A philosophy professor/lawyer argues that med-school “holistic” + diversity-weighted admissions are less predictive than a numbers-based algorithm—and that the stakes show up downstream in physician q...

3 Mar 1h 1min

1 in 20 Deaths: Inside Canada’s Assisted Dying System - Dr. Ramona Coelho

1 in 20 Deaths: Inside Canada’s Assisted Dying System - Dr. Ramona Coelho

Canada’s MAiD program has expanded rapidly—Dr. Ramona Coelho argues the system increasingly serves vulnerable people, with uneven safeguards and serious ethical, legal, and social risks. Guest bio: Dr...

24 Feb 1h

The Eavesdropper Economy: How Surveillance Built AI (E186)

The Eavesdropper Economy: How Surveillance Built AI (E186)

A lively tour from Cold War “The Thing” to today’s surveillance capitalism—showing how audio capture, too much data, and automation pressures helped turn listening into AI.Guest bios:Dr. Toby Heys — P...

18 Feb 1h

Managerial Class Ruined Tech (E185) - Darryl Campbell

Managerial Class Ruined Tech (E185) - Darryl Campbell

A former Silicon Valley insider explains how MBA-style “spreadsheet management” is breaking software—and why it’s making tech, AI, and everyday products worse.Guest bio:Darryl Campbell is a former tec...

10 Feb 1h 13min

55% of MIT Faculty Self-Censor — Here’s Why (E184)

55% of MIT Faculty Self-Censor — Here’s Why (E184)

MIT Free Speech Alliance president Wayne Stargardt explains how a few high-profile cancellations can drive widespread faculty self-censorship—even at a STEM powerhouse like MIT.Guest bio:Wayne Stargar...

5 Feb 52min

E183: Why Corporate America Will Never De-Woke | Law Prof Explains

E183: Why Corporate America Will Never De-Woke | Law Prof Explains

In this episode, Jesse talks with Fordham University School of Law corporate-law professor Sean J. Griffith about why “go woke, go broke” hasn’t really played out—and why big, publicly traded firms ca...

3 Feb 59min

E181: Politics Is the Best Predictor of Academic Research — Prof Mark Horowitz

E181: Politics Is the Best Predictor of Academic Research — Prof Mark Horowitz

Political beliefs often matter more than data or methods in shaping how social scientists think about controversial issues. In this episode, sociologist Dr. Mark Horowitz explains why many professors ...

27 Jan 1h 8min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
finansredaksjonen
pengepodden-2
pengesnakk
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
rss-sunn-okonomi
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
utbytte
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
lederpodden
rss-markedspuls-2
liberal-halvtime
rss-politisk-preik
okonomiamatorene