John “Sunshine” Arthur is really like this.

Always smiling, always joyful, this passionate and dedicated teacher has continued to push forward for students and communities from which they come.

A veteran teacher, John has always sought ways to elevate educational opportunities and equity in his community and beyond. Even as he runs for the Utah state board of education, John humanizes his opponent and the people of his state. This despite a ballot initiative pushing for increased privatization,  which presents a threat to young people who would MOST benefit from a powerful and uplifting educational experience.

In this episode, John will share with you his journey, his commitment to students, and ways you can support public education for ALL.

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Vouchers are violence.

Privatization is violence.

Failure to see that school privatization is a tool of Christian Nationalism and White Supremacy is deadly. To the future prospects of the students they exploit for flash-in-the-pan snake oil pedagogies. To the very possibility  of civil society.

Dr. Josh Cowen joins me for episode 132 of Too Dope Teachers and a Mic to discuss the peril of school vouchers and the destruction they have wrought upon education and society. He discusses his new book, The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.

Whatever you believe about vouchers, let me assure you, after reading this book, and talking with Dr. Cowen…it’s worse. Worse than you can imagine. The outcomes are awful, and the deception is dystopian. You’ll see why so many of us see privatization and all it’s cousins as a slippery slope that ultimately will destroy public education. And while there are abstract and unproven arguments about the unfulfilled promise of public education, there is still a promise.

It is now October. Many of you in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska have this choice to make, and those of you in fourteen other states have a lot of work to get these repealed. This episode is a hard listen, but essential for anyone who wants to see systemic justice in education.

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Buy The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers

ProPublica Report Cited during interview

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