Parent Empowerment with Mandy Drogin

What happens when families gain education freedom, but schools face roadblocks to serving them? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Pastor Wendell Hutchins, founder and senior pastor of Church of Champions in Houston. Hutchins shares the challenges his church’s private school encountered while seeking to participate in Texas’ Education Freedom Accounts program. Their...

How can Texas students be set up for success when it comes to improving literacy and reading comprehension? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Robert Pondiscio, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, former teacher, and author of How the Other Half Learns. Their conversation explores why improving literacy takes more than phonics, how Texas is buildin...

Irving ISD is asking voters to approve a nearly $1 billion bond package even as student enrollment declines and taxpayers continue to shoulder billions in school district debt. On this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin is joined by Philip Harold, professor at the University of Dallas, and TPPF's James Quintero to examine Irving ISD’s proposed $952 million bond, the true cost of school de...

On this episode of Parent Empowerment, host Mandy Drogin sits down with a Texas mother and two students from City School in Austin to discuss how school choice and Education Freedom Accounts are helping families access an education that meets their unique needs. The students share their experiences with dyslexia, smaller class sizes, hands-on learning, individualized attention, and specialized rea...

How can Texas restore academic integrity into our public higher education? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Dr. Tom Lindsay, a longtime higher education expert and former dean, provost, and college president. Their conversation explores how Texas can restore academic integrity, strengthen core curriculum, and ensure taxpayer-funded universities prepare students fo...

On this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with attorney Justin Nichols to discuss real disputes involving Texas public schools, parental rights, student discipline, and what he describes as the growing power of the Education Cartel. They break down several controversial cases and disputes, including a Frisco ISD student from Israel who was assigned a report on Palestine, a Belt...

How is the education cartel trying to silence parents that speak up against it? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Laura Cervantes, president of the Jasper High School Choir Booster Club. Laura shares how questioning Plano ISD’s demands escalated into the seizure of the booster club’s funds, her arrest on a felony theft charge, and an ongoing federal lawsuit. The co...

Texas taxpayers are spending billions on public education but how much of that money is actually reaching teachers and classrooms? In this episode of Parent Empowerment with Mandy Drogin, Mandy sits down with James Quintero of TPPF's Taxpayer Protection Project to examine administrative bloat in Texas public schools, rising superintendent compensation, and the impact these spending decisions can h...

How are radical Islamists infiltrating Texas' educational institutions? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Texas State Representative Brent Money. The conversation explores the founding of the Sharia Free Texas Caucus, the threat posed by radical Islamism, infiltration into education and communities, and practical steps Texans can take to protect their state and the...

How are students facing discrimination and fighting for free speech on college campuses? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain and attorney Tanner Franklin. The conversation explores free speech, the continued influence of DEI practices, and what students and parents can do when they believe a public university has violated their...

How did Conroe ISD's school board challenge the education cartel? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Conroe ISD school board members Misty Odenweller, Nicole May, and Melissa Dungan. They discuss why they are challenging the growing influence of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). The four discuss how Conroe ISD is fighting to restore local control, trans...

Exposing the truth about taxpayer-funded lobbying in Texas. In this episode of Parent Empowerment with Mandy Drogin, Mandy sits down with TPPF policy scholar Ben Crockett to uncover how millions of taxpayer dollars are being funneled to lobbying organizations, activist nonprofits, political advocacy groups, and special interests that many Texans never intended to fund. The discussion explores how...

How did Carroll ISD leadership take on the education cartel and win? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Carroll ISD School Board President Cam Bryan and Vice President Andrew Yeager to discuss how they challenged the education establishment, fought the education cartel, and helped turn Carroll ISD into a model for academic excellence. Cam and Andrew fought to elimin...

Texans are paying more in property taxes, but where is the promised tax relief? In this episode of Parent Empowerment with Mandy Drogin, Mandy sits down with Judge Shepard to expose how the Texas school bond process has been hijacked by an education cartel that profits from billions in taxpayer-funded debt. Based on Judge Shepard's groundbreaking research paper this conversation uncovers the netwo...

What happens when Texas families are empowered with educational freedom? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with City School Austin's Head of School Karon Law and board member Travis Reese to discuss how Education Freedom Accounts are creating new opportunities for Texas families and allowing schools to better serve students with diverse learning needs. From supporting s...

What can Texans learn from someone who watched their freedom disappear firsthand? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former Iranian citizen Julie Ruehle to discuss her experience living through Iran’s Islamic Revolution and the lessons it holds for America today. Julie shares how the Iranian Revolution transformed life for women, si...

Why are Texas property taxes still rising despite record education spending? Why has Texas school district debt ballooned to hundreds of billions of dollars? And how are taxpayer-funded lobbyists, education foundations, and public-private partnerships impacting local taxpayers? In this eye-opening episode of Parent Empowerment with Mandy Drogin, Texas State Representative Terri Leo-Wilson (HD-23)...

Why are Texas parents of special needs students leaving public schools for specialized private options? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Taryn, a mom to Hadley and a paraprofessional at Oak Creek Academy in Killeen, Texas, along with Hadley herself. Taryn shares their powerful journey from frustrating public school experiences, including the loss of sign language...

What’s really happening with Texas A&M’s ties to the Qatar Foundation, and why should Texans be paying attention?   In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with TPPF's Kate Bierly to discuss Texas A&M’s Qatar campus and the national security threat it poses for Texas and America. The two dive into the role of soft power, foreign funding, national security concerns, an...

Why are fewer young Americans getting married and what does this mean for the future of families? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with TPPF's family policy expert, Hannah Bruck, to examine the cultural, economic, and societal forces shaping marriage and family formation in America today. From the rise of online dating culture and social media influence to shifting cul...

On this episode of Parent Empowerment with Mandy Drogin, filmed live at Texas Policy Summit 2026, Mandy sits down with Texas Senator Adam Hinojosa to discuss one of the biggest government reform battles in Texas: ending taxpayer-funded lobbying. Sen. Hinojosa explains how taxpayer-funded lobbyists use millions of taxpayer dollars to lobby against reforms like: Property tax relief School choice Pro...

On this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin is joined by James Quintero, Policy Director for the Taxpayer Protection Project, and Jose Melendez, Campaign Director for the Government Reform & Oversight Coalition, to break down how rising property taxes and massive school bond elections are impacting Texas families. The team discusses the growing influence of taxpayer-funded lobbyists, t...

In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Jordan Cope, StandWithUs Director of Policy Education and expert on Qatar’s radical Islamist networks, to expose how Qatar is infiltrating Texas through soft power tactics, funding of our higher education and institutions, and direct support of designated terrorist group Hamas.

How do we restore civic education in higher education? In this episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Justin Dyer, Dean of the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin, to explore the growing movement to restore classical education and civic understanding in higher education. Dyer shares why many universities have drifted from their original mission and w...

On this explosive episode of Parent Empowerment, Mandy Drogin sits down with Judge Shepard and Ben Crockett from the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Government Reform & Oversight Coalition to expose the powerful role of taxpayer-funded lobbyists in the Texas Legislature. Discover how organizations like the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) use taxpayer dollars to influence lawmakers a...