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

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.

00:00 Meet James Tooley

01:03 Hyderabad Discovery

03:25 Government School Reality

05:37 Makoko Lagos Expedition

07:49 Kibera Ghana China Proof

11:49 Beautiful Tree Thesis

13:04 War Torn Africa Schools

15:48 Five Key Features

21:06 Federations And Pushback

22:02 Low Cost Schools In America

25:53 Pine Ridge Onward Learning

29:46 Mississippi Trailer School

33:19 Refugees And Oregon Example

36:08 National Survey Findings

41:45 Philanthropy And Donations

43:26 Quality Assurance Debate

46:33 School Choice ESA Concerns

49:57 Where To Follow James

50:46 Final Reflections

The Beautiful Tree: https://a.co/d/032zFHgW

Really Good Schools: Global Lessons for High-Caliber, Low-Cost Education: https://a.co/d/01VMoY3r

https://x.com/james_tooley

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/james-tooley-320a8410

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