Episode 26: Charter Schools

This week's current events: A Bill Gates-backed startup has a new way to capture carbon from the atmosphere The YIMBY movement recorded wins across the country in 2023 The international climate conference COP28 is happening, with a few interesting takeaways including a hard stance against methane Reno, Nevada has a controversial new solution to its homelessness problem There's a lawsuit in New York trying to close a loophole that hedge fund managers use to avoid taxes Donald Trump renews his promise to repeal Obamacare The UK's financial situation is only getting worse Germany's high court determined that the government couldn't use 60 billion euros in pandemic-era money to fund its green transition in 2024 The Biden administration has released rules on which electric vehicles qualify for tax credits based on where the materials and parts are from in a move against China's supply chain domination Venezuela had a referendum where the majority of its population voted to invade Guyana for its oil Our deep dive this week is about charter schools. A relatively new phenomenon, starting in the 1970s and 1980s, charter schools are options for families to send their kids to which lie outside of the normal school district, but take some of the local district funding. Charter schools are different because they are more flexible in what they teach, the amenities they offer, and how they compensate their teachers. Their results have been mixed, but positive overall - yet, progressives hate them. We have a heated debate on whether charter schools should be expanded, or the money used for them should be retained for district public schools.