On this episode, Tuthill begins a conversation with Schultz, incoming leader of the American Federation for Children, a national advocacy organization focused on state-level systemic change that advocates for legislation to expand education choice opportunities, particularly for low-income families.
Schultz, who grew up on a farm in rural California and attended high school 60 miles from home, discusses how education choice impacted him and shares his belief that the COVID-19 pandemic has awakened many people to inequities in the modern public education system. These inequities, Schultz proposes, create an uneven playing field for many families that must be addressed by robust legislation to assist families in customizing their children’s education to best serve their needs.
“Hearing sentiments from students that we’ve been able to help, especially from lower-income communities where they’ve said their education changed the course of their family’s life … to me it gets to the fundamental core of our work.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
The mission of the American Federation for Children, Schultz’s background, and his start in the education choice movement
Schultz’s priorities as he takes the helm at AFC
Why Schultz made the decision to move AFC’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Dallas and the future of choice in Texas
How the COVID-19 pandemic will impact and shape education choice legislation
LINKS MENTIONED:
AFC’s Voices for Choice advocacy program
Be sure to return next week for Part 2 of Tuthill’s interview with Schultz.
