
The Education Crisis Nobody Wants to Fix
From Pantsuit Politics by Sarah & Beth
May 1, 2026 · 57 min · Season 11
About this episode
The episode discusses the education crisis in America with guest Rahm Emanuel, covering various aspects including school closures and federal education strategies.
Rahm Emanuel came ready to talk — and y'all, we were ready. This conversation covers the education crisis in America (which I don’t think a single person in this audience needs to be convinced about), what Mississippi actually did to turn things around, why Rahm closed schools in Chicago and would do it again, and what a real federal education strategy could look like. We also got into fiscal reality, political will, phones in classrooms, the debt we owe to community colleges, and whether the next president should come in like FDR or like a triage nurse. Plus: Rahm's near-death experience at 17, coffee in bed, and empty nest advice. — Sarah Topics Discussed The Education Crisis: Why We Know What to Do and Won’t Do It (science of reading, phonics, the Mississippi Marathon) High School Reform, Community Colleges, and the “Learn, Plan, Succeed” Framework Phones, Screens, and What We’ve Abdicated to the Algorithm School Closures, Political Will, and Owning Tough Decisions Outside of Politics: Swimming, Coffee in Bed, and Raising Boys Ready to go deeper? Visit our website for complete show notes, exclusive premium content, chats, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
People in this episode
Hosts: Sarah, Beth
Guest: Rahm Emanuel
Topics covered
- education crisis
- school closures
- high school reform
- community colleges
- political will
- federal education strategy
Keywords
- education crisis
- Rahm Emanuel
- school closures
- community colleges
- political will
- high school reform
- federal education strategy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Mississippi, FDR, community colleges
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