Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams How to Stand Up to Project 2025 and Save Public Education
Dec 12, 2024
Stacey welcomes Kate Nazemi, a dynamic parent and co-founder of Advocates for Inclusive Education, and Jon Valant, a K-12 education policy expert from the Brookings Institution. They dive into the risks posed by Project 2025 on public education, discussing potential changes to student rights and funding. The conversation highlights the importance of local engagement, from school board meetings to grassroots activism, as a means to protect education in light of political shifts. Listeners are encouraged to take action and stay informed.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Fighting Back Against School Takeover
- Kate Nazemi witnessed conservative activists taking over her school district, banning books, and rewriting curricula.
- She fought back by attending school board meetings, consulting legal organizations, and forming a community organization.
Department of Education's Role
- The Department of Education's role is often misunderstood; it primarily enforces civil rights, provides compensatory funding, and conducts research.
- It administers programs established by laws that often predate the department itself.
Importance of Federal Laws
- Federal laws, not state laws, protect students against discrimination.
- Accountability would be difficult without these federal backups.
