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
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