James Traub: When the Bough Breaks

James Traub: When the Bough Breaks

From Impolitic with John Heilemann by Audacy | Puck

May 26, 2026 · 1h 26m

About this episode

John Heilemann discusses education and democracy with author James Traub, focusing on his book about the role of schools in society.

John welcomes author James Traub to discuss his latest book, “The Cradle of Citizenship: How Schools Can Help Save Our Democracy.” Traub describes the year he spent reporting in K-12 classrooms across the country; the fierce culture wars after the Covid-19 pandemic in many school systems around race, gender, curricula, and library collections; the debate over the 1619 Project and 1776 Report; and other signs of politicized rot in primary and secondary education. He also points to signs of hope, including the rise of so-called "classical" charter schools—and explains why the reflexive liberal opposition to them is misguided. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: John Heilemann

Guest: James Traub

Topics covered

  • education
  • democracy
  • culture wars
  • K-12 classrooms
  • politicization
  • charter schools

Keywords

  • education
  • democracy
  • culture wars
  • K-12
  • charter schools
  • 1619 Project
  • 1776 Report
  • politicization

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Audacy, Puck

Books & works: The Cradle of Citizenship: How Schools Can Help Save Our Democracy, 1619 Project, 1776 Report

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