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Freakonomics Radio

188. Is America’s Education Problem Really Just a Teacher Problem?

Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.632K Ratings

🗓️ 27 November 2014

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

If U.S. schoolteachers are indeed “just a little bit below average,” it’s not really their fault. So what should be done about it?

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I read somebody said it's hard to get into an head school and Finland is getting MIT.

0:11.4

That's Joe Klein.

0:12.4

He knows a little bit about schools and education and education schools.

0:17.4

And I'm now the CEO of Amplify, which is an education technology company started by

0:22.3

News Corp.

0:23.3

Before that, for a little over eight years, I was a school's chancellor in New York City

0:28.2

under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

0:30.4

Klein has rolled his education experience into a new book called Lessons of Hope, How to

0:34.9

Fix Our Schools.

0:36.6

That Biddy mentioned about Ed schools in Finland.

0:39.3

He was citing Amanda Ripley, who wrote a book called The Smartest Kids in the World and

0:43.6

How They Got That Was.

0:44.8

To get into education college in Finland is like getting into MIT in the United States.

0:49.8

And imagine what could follow if that were true here.

0:54.4

Imagine what could follow if that were true here.

0:57.4

They created a set of expectations brought people into the field and there's nothing

1:03.0

like self-fulfill in props.

1:05.4

But it's not that hard to get into an education school in the US.

1:09.3

Not that hard to become a school teacher.

1:11.2

As a result, US teachers are...

1:14.5

Well...

1:15.5

They're just a little bit below average.

...

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