#172: They Didn't Want Smart Kids — The Truth About How Public School Was Designed | Nicki Truesdell episode artwork

EPISODE · May 30, 2026 · 55 MIN

#172: They Didn't Want Smart Kids — The Truth About How Public School Was Designed | Nicki Truesdell

from The Homeschool How To · host Cheryl Daley

What if the problems in public school weren't accidents? What if low literacy rates, changing math standards, social emotional learning, and ideological curriculum were all part of a plan that started over a hundred years ago?This week Cheryl sits down with Nicki Truesdell — a second generation homeschooler who has been in the homeschool world since 1983 and has been homeschooling her own five kids since the year 2000. Nicki is the author of Anyone Can Homeschool and Home Sweet Homeschool, and runs Knowledge Keeper's Bookstore where she reprints rare out-of-print American history books to get the real story back into people's hands.In this episode they break down three books every parent needs to read:The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor GattoCrimes of the Educators by Alex Newman and Sam BlumenfeldThe Marxification of Education by James LindsayYou'll learn how the American education system was deliberately redesigned in the early 1900s by the Rockefellers, Carnegie, and the Education Trust to produce workers instead of thinkers — and how that agenda is still playing out in classrooms today through critical pedagogy, SEL, Common Core, and lowered test standards.Nicki also shares how she homeschooled as a single mom, why she believes homeschooling is the capitalist form of education, and how homeschool parents are learning the real version of American history right alongside their kids.If you've ever wondered whether pulling your kids out of school was the right call — this episode will remove any doubt.Connect with Nicki -- ⁠YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nickitruesdell1 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nicki-truesdell-podcast/id1798330030Homeschool 101⁠ https://nickitruesdell.com/homeschool-101/ ⁠Homeschool Consultations⁠ https://nickitruesdell.com/homeschool-consulting/ ⁠  Get her books:⁠Anyone Can Homeschool⁠ on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible! https://amzn.to/4fnSWs8Home Sweet Homeschool on Amazon and Kindle https://amzn.to/4qY4zMbKnowledge Keepers Bookstore: https://knowledgekeepersbookstore.com/ FARM FOOD FREEDOM Event: https://maxkane.com/eventsResources from Cheryl: 🎓 New to homeschooling? Grab the free 30-Day Quick Start Guide  📚 Knowing exactly what to teach is the hard part, so I broke it down for you in plain English! Grab this today — What Do I Actually Teach? ($17) 💻 Want to Homeschool but still have to work? Check out my course on how to do just that: How to Work and Homeschool courseSupport the showInstagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

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What if the problems in public school weren't accidents? What if low literacy rates, changing math standards, social emotional learning, and ideological curriculum were all part of a plan that started over a hundred years ago? This week Cheryl sits down with Nicki Truesdell — a second generation homeschooler who has been in the homeschool world since 1983 and has been homeschooling her own five kids since the year 2000. Nicki is the author of Anyone Can Homeschool and Home Sweet Homeschool, a...

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#172: They Didn't Want Smart Kids — The Truth About How Public School Was Designed | Nicki Truesdell

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