S3E20 | The Parent Power Tipping Point: Jeanne Allen on School Choice and the Future of K-12 Education

In this insightful episode, host Todd Zipper sits down with Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform (CER). Jeanne walks us through her three decades of relentless advocacy, tracing the evolution of education reform from the dawn of the charter school movement to today's rapidly accelerating landscape of school choice.

They discuss the principles of the Yass Prize's STOP framework—finding providers who are Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless—and the monumental impact it has on scaling innovation. Jeanne unpacks the complexity of education funding, addressing criticisms of choice programs by revealing the opaque, century-old way government-run public education is funded. She also details the Parent Power Index, an initiative designed to hold state leaders accountable and truly empower parents with information on their education laws. Finally, they explore the critical need for civics education through the "Why America" initiative, the importance of foundational virtues and a moral compass in schooling, and the necessity of teacher autonomy as a means to increase student engagement and satisfaction.

Don't miss this conversation on how we can accelerate the pace of change, put students first, and ensure a better future for education in America.