James Tooley: “ You don't need government for education” #426

<p>James Tooley describes two decades researching “low-cost private schools” serving poor families in India, Africa, rural China, and war-torn countries, arguing parents choose them because government/public schools often abandon children. He cites widespread enrollment (e.g., majorities in parts of Lagos and Kampala), higher standardized test performance, no gender bias, affordability around 10% of family spending, and sustainability as small businesses. He now finds a similar U.S. phenomenon in hybrid/micro schools, visiting examples in Pine Ridge (Onward Learning), rural Mississippi, refugee-serving Clarkston, and rural Oregon, and surveying 5,390 parents: about 4% use low-tuition private schools. He discusses limited, careful roles for philanthropy, and worries about dependence on government ESAs.</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Meet James Tooley</p><p>01:03 Hyderabad Discovery</p><p>03:25 Government School Reality</p><p>05:37 Makoko Lagos Expedition</p><p>07:49 Kibera Ghana China Proof</p><p>11:49 Beautiful Tree Thesis</p><p>13:04 War Torn Africa Schools</p><p>15:48 Five Key Features</p><p>21:06 Federations And Pushback</p><p>22:02 Low Cost Schools In America</p><p>25:53 Pine Ridge Onward Learning</p><p>29:46 Mississippi Trailer School</p><p>33:19 Refugees And Oregon Example</p><p>36:08 National Survey Findings</p><p>41:45 Philanthropy And Donations</p><p>43:26 Quality Assurance Debate</p><p>46:33 School Choice ESA Concerns</p><p>49:57 Where To Follow James</p><p>50:46 Final Reflections</p><p><br></p><p>The Beautiful Tree: <a href="https://a.co/d/032zFHgW">https://a.co/d/032zFHgW</a></p><p>Really Good Schools: Global Lessons for High-Caliber, Low-Cost Education: <a href="https://a.co/d/01VMoY3r">https://a.co/d/01VMoY3r</a></p><p><a href="https://x.com/james_tooley">https://x.com/james_tooley</a></p><p><a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/james-tooley-320a8410">https://uk.linkedin.com/in/james-tooley-320a8410</a></p><p>=========</p><p>Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: <a href="https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries">https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries</a></p><p>My Linktree: <a href="https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1">https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1</a></p>