Is democracy failing education?

American students are falling behind while local …

An episode of the The Science of Politics podcast, hosted by Niskanen Center, titled "Is democracy failing education?" was published on August 6, 2025 and runs 57 minutes.

August 6, 2025 ·57m · The Science of Politics

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

American students are falling behind while local school boards are preoccupied with culture war controversies. Is local democratic control of schools a detriment to improving student outcomes? Vlad Kogan finds that school boards regularly prioritize the needs of teachers and administrators over students. Elections are unrepresentative and sometimes partisan and drive schools to distraction. He draws surprisingly positive lessons from post-Katrina New Orleans and Chicago school closures and argues for on-cycle elections that grade schools on student achievement.

Episode Description

American students are falling behind while local school boards are preoccupied with culture war controversies. Is local democratic control of schools a detriment to improving student outcomes? Vlad Kogan finds that school boards regularly prioritize the needs of teachers and administrators over students. Elections are unrepresentative and sometimes partisan and drive schools to distraction. He draws surprisingly positive lessons from post-Katrina New Orleans and Chicago school closures and argues for on-cycle elections that grade schools on student achievement.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Senator Phil Gramm and Don Boudreaux on the Triumph of Economic Freedom

Apr 1, 2026 ·57m

Reconsidering FDR With David Beito

Mar 4, 2026 ·59m

Perspectives on Peace — Taboo Lines and the Process of Peace

Feb 18, 2026 ·98m

Chris Coyne — 2023 Markets and Society Conference Keynote

Feb 4, 2026 ·41m

Perspectives on Peace — What Should Economists Teach?

Jan 21, 2026 ·49m

Mario Small — 2024 Markets and Society Conference Keynote

Jan 7, 2026 ·61m

Similar Podcasts

Challenging Climate Jesse Reynolds and Pete Irvine Asking tough questions about the science, technology, and politics of climate change, two climate researchers challenge leading experts on one of the defining issues of our age. Every two weeks, they explore how we can fight global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, carbon removal, adaptation and solar geoengineering. Dr. Jesse Reynolds and Dr. Pete Irvine consider the roles of computer models and persuasive narratives, economics and public policy, and renewable energy and national security in the climate debate, and look beyond to issues such as biotechnology and international development.Support us at Patreon.Questions or comments? Email [email protected] or tweet @ChalClimateSee more information on Jesse Reynolds and <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/earth- Oxford Food Governance Group: The Politics and Practices of Food Oxford University The Oxford Food Governance Group is an interdisciplinary group of researchers from the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society (InSIS), Said Business School, and the Unit for Biocultural Variation and Obesity (UBVO) at the University of Oxford, who share an interest in food governance practices. Looking at the politics of food distribution, sustainability, and governance of the food supply among other topics, this series will look at how we get our food and why it matters. The Muckraking Ida Tarbell and C. Gull Discussions of politics, culture, social justice, science, technology, and all the news that’s fit to criticize. Led by Ida Tarbell and C. Gull https://themuckraking.wordpress.com/ The Christian Science Monitor - News csmonitor.com A daily selection of audio reports from csmonitor.com

URL copied to clipboard!