Randi Weingarten on Defending Our Public Education

<div>We are joined by Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers, to discuss her new book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy.” In the book, Weingarten details how there has been a systematic demonization of teachers and public education in America. She argues that one of the pillars of public education is critical thinking, which prevents fascism from flourishing in society - so fascists (and wannabe fascists) hate it.<br /><br />We explore a variety of topics facing schoolchildren and their parents today, including charter schools, artificial intelligence, phones in schools, and the treatment of LGBTQ+ students.<br /><br />We also discuss Trump’s proposed elimination of the Department of Education, attacks on teachers unions, and how we may have kept the schools closed for too long during Covid-19.<br /><br />READ Randi's new book: <a href="https://sites.prh.com/whyfascistsfearteachers">https://sites.prh.com/whyfascistsfearteachers<br /></a><br /></div>