The Remarkable Life Story of Maria Montessori
Guidepost Montessori presents Maria Montessori’s revolutionary approach to educating children.
Liberty Unlocked: The Quest for Meaning with Lisa VanDamme
Persuasion guru, Don Watkins has an awesome interview with education innovator Lisa Van Damme on his Liberty Unlocked podcast. From the podcast description:
Lisa VanDamme is the founder of VanDamme Academy, a K-8 private school, and Read With Me. In this episode, we talk about how education and art bolster our pursuit of a meaningful life. Along the way, we discuss the role of hierarchy in education, cultivating a love of literature, and why I believe that the Bible can’t be the voice of God, because if that voice exists on earth, it’s Victor Hugo’s.
Bezos Academy: Free Montessori-style Preschools
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has just launched the Bezos Academy. “The @bezosacademy opens its doors on Oct. 19th. This one in Des Moines, WA, is the first of many free preschools that we’ll be opening for underserved children.”
The Bezos Academy is a non-profit organization that is launching a network of tuition-free Montessori-inspired preschools in underserved communities.
What $30,000 Buys in Public Education in D.C.
Writes Terence P. Jeffrey on “D.C. Public Schools Spend $30K Per Student; Only 23% of 8th Graders Proficient in Reading“, CNS News, (September 16, 2020):
The public elementary and secondary schools in the District of Columbia spent $30,115 per pupil during the 2016-2017 school year, according to Table 236.75 in the Department of Education’s “Digest of Education Statistics.”
But only 23% of the eighth graders in the D.C. public schools were proficient or better in reading in 2019, according to the department’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, tests.
Similarly, only 23% of eighth graders in the district’s public schools were proficient or better in mathematics.
Ray Girn: The Individual Life Fully Lived is Sacred
“The individual human life fully lived is an end in itself.” – Ray Girn
Education innovator, Ray Girn, one of the world’s foremost experts in scaling Montessori education gives a moving speech on the importance of creating conditions to optimize a child’s environment so that they may live a life that is “fully lived.” Must listen.
Thomas Sowell: A Legend at 90 Examines Charter Schools and Their Enemies
The day before this show was recorded, Dr. Thomas Sowell began his 10th decade of life. Remarkably on one hand and yet completely expected on the other, he remains as engaged, analytical, and thoughtful as ever. In this interview (one of roughly a dozen or so we’ve conducted with Dr. Sowell over the years), we delve into his new book Charter Schools and Their Enemies, a sobering look at the academic success of charter schools in New York City, and the fierce battles waged by teachers unions and progressive politicians to curtail them. Dr. Sowell’s conclusion is equally thought provoking: If the opponents of charter schools succeed, the biggest losers will be poor minority children for whom a quality education is the best chance for a better life.