A Conversation With Katharine Birbalsingh

As the daughter of immigrants and herself an Oxford student, Katharine Birbalsingh entered a program in which she encouraged inner-city students onto a path toward Oxford themselves. In that role, she found her love for teaching and was eventually asked to speak at the Conservative Party conference (where her speech gained more views than the UK's prime minister at the time). Her ideas on education received backlash, and she was forced to exit her teaching position. Today, she is the founder and headmistress of the Michaela Community School in London, an exceptionally successful free school (similar to a U.S. charter school) which is used as a model for schools around the world. In this episode, she discusses with Jeremy Tate why she stood up to promote academic values that run counter to identity politics in education.  Ms. Birbalsingh was recently made Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen for her services to education. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_SnuffyMichaela Community SchoolBattle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers: The Michaela WayThe Power of Culture: The Michaela WayE.D. Hirsch: The Schools We Need And Why We Don't Have Them