The following article is Plugger U Writer Plugger U Co-founder Allen Estrin.
Unless you’re an executive at a major teachers union, a university administrator, or a left-leaning professor, you know that the American education system is broken. How we got to this shameful state of affairs is a story for another time. For now, I want to raise the question: How can we fix it?
The answer is clear: education. Or as we often say, Plugger UAt the 501c3 company where I am co-founder and executive director, we say, “Education is what got us into this mess. Education is the only solution.”
Starting with John Dewey in the early 20th century, 21st Century Progressivism (Why does progressivism always lead us backwards?) As social thinkers, the left invaded our education system. By the end of the century, the left’s dominance was total. Thanks to the Internet, the right is beginning to reverse it. For the left to win, they need a monopoly on information. The Internet makes that impossible.
This is the gap that PragerU exploited. We started a little over a decade ago with the concept of 5-minute videos – condensing the best ideas from the best minds into 5 visually compelling, focused minutes. It turns out you can pack a lot of knowledge, even wisdom, into 300 seconds. Don’t believe it? Watch it and you’ll believe it. This video Alexander Hamilton’s brilliant construction of the American economy.
PragerU has over 500 5 Minute Video A wide range of topics from economics to philosophy. President Series Not only will you learn something fascinating about each commander in chief, but you’ll also get a concise, yet surprisingly comprehensive, overview of American history.
Recently, we have expanded into the kindergarten and elementary school market. Plugger U KidsSeven states – Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Hampshire, Montana and Louisiana – have approved the use of PragerU videos in public school classrooms in the last year, with more states expected to join in the coming years.
PragerU co-founders Dennis Prager (right) and Allen Estrin address the team at a staff retreat. (Photo courtesy of PragerU)
If you homeschool your children (the ideal solution), these videos (both the 5-minute videos and the PragerU Kids videos) are a great addition to your lesson plans. If you’re not homeschooling, these videos are an effective inoculation against the crap your kids are learning in most public schools. Here’s a suggestion: watch one of these videos as a family before dinner and discuss it at the dinner table. Now you can homeschool!
but Plugger U is just one tool in the arsenal. We must build charter and private schools that put Judeo-Christian values at the core of their mission. The good news is that a growing number of organizations across the country are doing just that. Hillsdale College operates charter and curriculum-based schools in 33 states. Acton Institute has founded over 200 private schools. There are other organizations doing similar work. This is badly needed.
On the college front, the University of Austin, founded by tech entrepreneur Joe Lonsdale, historian Neil Ferguson, Free Press founder Bari Weiss, and many others, will hold its first freshman class this fall. Its mission is to provide students with a classical liberal education. There are well-established schools that offer classical liberal arts curricula, such as the aforementioned Hillsdale in Michigan, Grove City College in Pennsylvania, and the University of Dallas in Texas. Major universities also have programs in conservative thought. Princeton University’s James Madison Program and Clemson University’s Clemson Center for the Study of Capitalism are just a few examples.
Government has a big role to play. Florida and Oklahoma are leading the way. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis empowered great social thinker and cultural commentator Chris Rufo and others to completely transform New College, a public school in Sarasota that was once notoriously left-leaning, into a school that emphasizes more traditional educational values. Oklahoma Public Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters demanded that the Bible be included in the standard curriculum for Oklahoma schools. This sounds like a no-brainer (why not?) but it sparked a furious outcry from the left. Their predictable argument is that it violates the separation of church and state. There is no such doctrine in the Constitution (if you watch this video you will see that it is in the Constitution) but that doesn’t matter. Plugger U (Watch the video to see this) and that the Bible was the standard textbook in American schools for most of America’s first 200 years.
PragerU co-founder Allen Estrin speaks to the PragerU team at a staff retreat. (Photo courtesy of PragerU)
The ultimate power in this drama is, of course, the parents. If enough parents insist that their children’s schools teach the essentials: reading, writing, math, and a strong foundation in Western and American history, the schools will comply. If they don’t, the parents must pull their children out of the schools and find a school they like better, or homeschool their children themselves. Taking control of school boards is also a big part of this effort. For decades, we’ve allowed the left to fill these board positions almost by default. Not anymore.
Plugger U We can be a frontline, a direct haven for parents in this battle. Every week we build a body of knowledge that encompasses the key ideas that have shaped and are shaping the world, from ancient Israel to modern America. Somewhere, a toddler crawling on a carpet is Plugger U Our goal is to teach a full range of educational material from the time a child can stand on their own two feet to college and beyond. We share this goal with many others to teach traditional Judeo-Christian values. Together, we can rebuild American education and make it great again for all students.
