Ep.062 -- Neal McCluskey -- School Choice & Liberty

ClassCast Podcast Ep.062 features Neal McCluskey PhD, the Director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute, discussing school choice, individual liberty, and the future of education with host Ryan Tibbens. Neal has spent most of his career studying public policy with a focus on education; he is a leader in the national school choice conversation, has written and edited three books on the subject, and explains his beliefs and goals through a lens of respect for individuals and their liberty. In this conversation, Neal explains how school choice will (and won't) affect community bonding, civil rights, and public funding. While he does concede that most school choice supporters would like to see lower taxes and/or educational costs, he doesn't agree with host Ryan Tibbens' concern that school choice legislation now will ultimately lead to the end of publicly funded education. Much as Jennifer Berkshire's (Ep.061) new book is leading the discussion against school choice, Neal McCluskey and Corey DeAngelis's new book, School Choice Myths: Setting the Record Straight on Education Freedom, is making waves in the education policy arena. This episode is Part 3 of the ClassCast Podcast mini-series on school choice; don't miss the others!

Recent and upcoming ClassCast Podcast episodes will feature public school advocates, school choice advocates, and the kind of thoughtful discourse that should inform our national conversation as well as individual listeners' opinions on school choice, public schools, funding, equity, justice, and opportunity. Let us know what you think about each part of this series and how you feel about school choice.  

- School Choice Series Part 1: Ep.060 -- Citizen Stewart -- School Choice & Educational Opportunity (3/21/21)
​- School Choice Series Part 2: Ep.061 -- Jennifer Berkshire -- The False Promises of School Choice (3/29/21)
- School Choice Series Part 3: Ep.062 -- Neal McCluskey -- School Choice & Liberty (4/5/21)
- School Choice Series Part 4: Ep.063 -- Jon Hale -- School Reform, Not School Choice (4/12/21)
- School Choice Series Part 5: Ep.064 -- Tibbens -- Thoughts on School Choice/Conclusion (4/19/21)

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Table of Contents (*highlights)

1. 0:00-5:05 -- Neal's Background & Entry into Education Policy
2. 5:05-10:47 -- School Choice's Effects on Communities *
3. 10:47-19:16 -- School Choice: Liberty & Respect for Individuals *
4. 19:16-30:38 -- The Purpose of School According to Neal
5. 30:38-54:46 -- Civil Rights, Diversity, & School Choice *
6. 54:46-1:08:38 -- Is School Choice a Step Toward Ending Public Funding for Education? **
7. 1:08:38-1:15:26 -- Compromise: Teachers' Unions & School Choice
8. 1:15:26-1:18:40 -- Neal's Ideal School
9. 1:18:40-1:26:40 -- Final Thoughts, Book/Movie Recs, & Wrap-Up

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