Are You Kidding Me?

Description: Families are increasingly finding themselves trapped in a whirlwind of competition for their kids. From rigorous sports clubs to the college admissions process, parents are forced to concentrate more on what everyone else is doing as opposed to what is best for their family. This unhealthy dynamic has led to a decline in civic associations and other institutions that are critical for...

Description: The New York legislature has just passed a law that could bring $350 million of tax revenues to the state each year from marijuana sales. While the short-term benefits may be appealing, it Governor Cuomo and his lawmakers have not considered the far-reaching ramifications of such a law. The passage of this and other similar laws across the nation call into question several items: What...

A good education is a ticket to a good life, and high-quality mathematics instruction is growing rapidly in importance. However, an increasingly loud line of rhetoric threatens to weaken our public schools’ standards for high-quality mathematics programs. For example, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has supported a math curriculum taking the position that white supremacy is furthered by ob...

Description: In the 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) became law — institutionalizing a sweeping set of race-based restrictions over how child welfare systems can treat Indian children. While the law was passed with the noble intent of protecting Native American cultures, its effects have been devastating, halting the protection of children in countless dangerous situations. Why is ICWA so...

Description: Conversations about polyamory, same-sex parenting, and other alternative family arrangements have received increased national attention in recent years. But so often, these discussions focus primarily on the interests and desires of adults and pay very little attention to the wellbeing of children. What factors should serve as the impetus for change in policy and culture around child...

Description: A professor at Georgetown Law School was recently fired for remarks she made during a private zoom call about the academic performance of black students at Georgetown — raising several questions about the nature of and potential solutions to racial disparities in higher education. What are the root causes of racial disparities in schools? How much freedom should professors and adminis...

Description: Foster youth today face incredible challenges building a stable life when they age out of the child welfare system. Fewer than ten percent ever graduate college, and tragic reports have outlined crises of homelessness and poverty among these young adults. But some foster youth have found healing and restoration through caring foster parents, a deeply embedded sense of personal agency,...

Description: The tragic death of George Floyd has sparked many important conversations about how Americans can pursue a future characterized by unity and equality around race. Yet, amid this national reckoning on race, a divisive and disempowering philosophy of “antiracism” has risen to the forefront of American culture. Is the solution to America’s racial disparities continuously reifying race in...

Description: Many child welfare systems have abdicated their duties in the wake of the pandemic — failing to identify and protect children who have fallen victim to maltreatment. How can child welfare officials inspire a different approach that increases touchpoints with children, uses the resources of caseworkers and foster families more effectively, and offers faster, better care coordination fo...

Description: Specialized high schools for gifted students are receiving a lot of criticism these days because many tend to admit a disproportionate number of white and Asian students. But for many of these schools, admissions is based primarily on an unbiased entrance exam. If black and Hispanic students are performing less successfully on these entrance exams, does that mean the exams themselves...

Over the past month, US family policy has captivated the attention of policymakers across the ideological spectrum. At the forefront of the family policy conversation: a universal child allowance. In early February 2021, Senator Mitt Romney  proposed  a sweeping plan to combine several tax credits and the major US cash welfare program into a universal child allowance, paid in cash to fam...

Description: Title IX was first implemented in the 1960s to rectify discrimination against women on the basis of sex in institutions receiving federal funding. In what can only be described as one of the quickest shifts in American culture, women began to outperform men in both enrollment and success in higher education. What role should Title IX play in promoting equal opportunity today? Are woke...

For decades, the NCAA’s Academic Performance Program has sought to hold colleges across the country accountable to provide a quality education to their student-athletes. Yet, today, this program has come under fire for the way it treats historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Is it racist to hold HBCUs to the same academic standards as other colleges? What role should institutions of...

Schools across the country have begun to adopt practices around teaching and enforcing “woke” principles that raise concerns about the rights and wellbeing of children. In some instances, students are required to publically declare their support or opposition to certain ideologies and “corrected” later if their answers are not satisfactory. Are schools overstepping their bounds and infringing on s...

In October 2020, the San Diego Unified School District board unanimously approved sweeping changes to the district’s grading system in an effort to become “anti-racist.” Among these changes: removing the requirement for all students to turn in their homework on time. Does altering the way students are graded really address the root problem of the achievement gap? How do “anti-racist” policies shap...

James and Gail Blais were barred from fostering their one-year-old great-granddaughter due to their religious beliefs. During the foster parent application process, the Washington state government led the Blaises through hypothetical questions assessing how they would respond if their great-granddaughter were to identify as homosexual or transgender at some point in the future. As Seventh-Day Adve...

Much research demonstrates the academic benefits of school choice. But schools don’t just convey academic knowledge to children — they also play a critical role in developing a child’s social and moral life. In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Patrick Wolf , professor of education policy at the University of Arkansas. They discuss a recent paper Wolf co-authored with AEI visiting scholar...

The Opioid epidemic has received a great deal of attention in the national media, but little has focused on how this tragic crisis is affecting children. New research suggests the drug crisis has torn at least 1.5 million children away from a parent since the mid-nineties. Such large disruptions to children’s living arrangements will have long-reaching impacts. In this episode, Ian and Naomi are j...

Startling pictures of starving, neglected, naked children were the first images seen by American parents after Ceaușescu’s communist dictatorship in Romania fell in the late 80s. But a well-intentioned rush to adopt these children led to difficulties for many Romanian children and their American parents, because families and adoption agencies did not fully understand the brain damage these childre...

It is good to fight against racism in schools and in the workplace. But a new wave of “anti-bias” trainings in public and private organizations are pushing a divisive and disempowering narrative surrounding race. Organizations ranging from local school districts to the Seattle government and the Treasury Department have singled out white employees for “anti-racism” trainings and engaged in hu...

Loving homes are important for adoptive children, regardless of the race of the adoptee. But recent articles from the Brookings Institution and America Magazine have called into question whether race is a more important factor when matching a child with their adoptive parents. Particularly, they suggest that white parents adopting black children can be damaging. Should adoption be determined...

By nearly all measures, remote learning fell short for a majority of students in the spring of 2020. With most schools opting to forego in-person teaching this fall, educators desperately need an effective virtual learning model to guide their teaching efforts. How can teachers engage students in their coursework, even as they tune in from […] The post Remote learning that works appeared first on...

With a large majority of public schools opting to continue remote learning this fall in lieu of reopening, parents face a unique set of challenges as home-based education becomes a more permanent fixture of life. How will life change for the millions of working parents whose children will now be at home for the fall? […] The post How to homeschool in a pandemic appeared first on American Enterpris...

A member of the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families recently issued a call to abolish foster care. Is the foster care system inherently racist? Are children being removed from their homes simply because their families are experiencing poverty? How can we ensure that disadvantaged children can have a brighter, more prosperous future? […] The post Addressing racial disparities in...

The Children’s Scholarship Fund (CSF) recently surveyed parents who receive need-based scholarships from their organization to send their children to inner-city private schools. How has the coronavirus affected the lives of low-income children attending these private schools? Were private schools in the CSF network prepared to meet the needs of vulnerable students this past spring […] The post Pri...