It's back-to-school season, and the very meaning of a proper education seems to be more up for grabs than ever before. K-12 education is still bobbing in the long, tumultuous wake of pandemic lockdowns that invited unprecedented parental scrutiny of what happens in the classroom, resulted in years of learning loss, and catapulted schools into the political and cultural arena.

We've invited on Deb Fillman, creator of the fascinating Substack The Reason We Learn, because she offers sharp, critical analysis of the current state of American schools informed by a blend of her real-world experience as a teacher, tutor, and homeschool parent and her philosophical commitment to individualism and free and critical thought, all of which she believes are under sustained attack. We also debate whether Fillman is correct in her opposition to school choice programs.