[cheers] [cheers] john: hundreds of union teachers once showed up outside of my office to shout shame on me. why have tenure? now a school reform movement has spread to other countries and unions they are don't like it either. get outside of the protest, there is progress. >> it taught me a lot of things. john: now ron paul is a new tool for homeschooling. >> let me hear your voice. john: but the unions make it hard to innovate. it is not just the unions, they

called of resistance that blob. it's like this jabba the hutt thing that can't be bug. the janitors union come the politicians, school board bureaucrats. >> we have four or five people to sign off, we have to get the director of the critically to say that this is crazy to want at least a crazy. john: that's our show tonight. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and here is john stossel's. john: americans schoolchildren have been caught in a double run monopoly. it is not for lack of money, we

have tripled what we have spent on k-12 education by test scores do not allow. the good news is there are all kinds of alternatives that allow kids to escape the government cannot wait. but here is one word that you will be interested in. it is because it was created none other than libertarian congressman ron paul. were homeschoolers, introducing the ron paul curriculum, which is what? >> it is a freedom curriculum,. >> you're not going to go into every home and teach. how and were? >> it is going to be through the internet. it is studying the constitution, not from the textbooks, but they

will have a lecture to do video lectures at the young people can watch at their own speed. it is going to be designed to get people to read and get people to write and to think about businesses and how to interact. so i'm very encouraged by this and now hopefully we can participate in this in our public school system and avert the disaster. john: you're going to charge homeschoolers about $250. so it's free and the teachers can get these free videos, some of which you are on. in economics. >> that's right, we mention some of the free ones in the book. we have to sell our program. but ours will be free from kindergarten to fifth grade. you know, a pretty good start. john: okay.

>> people are suffering, they don't know what to do. i went to public school k-12. so many drugs in public schools, parents are looking for something. >> we have private school options which some people can afford. but homeschooling is affordable. it isn't that bad become a much better education, just think of how well the homeschoolers have done. >> they don't even teach geography geography anymore. that was my favorite subject. a major case in texas was one that in the day's. john: they argued that we have to have uniforms, education, the parents won't do a good job. >> that turned out not to be the case. they close down private schooling, they will continue to

try to do, i believe, i'm afraid that they will have a regulation when he do well in homeschooling and one of the qualifications that you have to have a degree for such and such school. >> there is a staunch group that defends the public school system and that is the biggest union in the company, the teachers union. john: i'm told that they don't mix, homeschooled kids and publicly schooled kids. >> yes, you are talking about

socializing. we have a lot of homeschoolers, but they would come out, and you would know them because of the mother being there with three of her kids. >> so there was an argument there that they would be antisocial. john: lets me a couple of homeschoolers. this is veronica andreades. she is 16 years old. this is jeremiah burch, he is 12 years old, both are homeschooled by different families here in new york city. you guys must have no friends of your homeschooled. [laughter] >> some people have said that. >> entirely not sure that homeschoolers have friends, but

i've actually made a ton more friends with a homeschooling program. john: had he do that if you are home all the time? >> there is a group of 7000 parents and they do a little social activity. john: your mother made a video of the dance were homeschoolers get together. ♪ ♪ ♪ john: this is not a church basement. >> yeah, they hosted a little dance they are all the homeschoolers in the community. they have summer classes, i went to the metropolitan museum of art, made a bunch of friends there and they do like three to five lazier and i made a bunch of friends there. actually made a bunch more friends with homeschool.

john: veronica andreades comedic ballet, karate lessons come, unique kids outside the home? >> yes, exactly. john: what you like about this? >> i like it because it allows me to morph my curriculum into my interests and to direct what i am learning i have really developed an interest in being a writer. i have found that homeschool azmi to do exercise that helps me develop my talent. that way i am better prepared for that. john: but your brother is going to regular school? >> yes, when we all got to high school my parents gave us a choice, you can go to high school you can keep on going homeschool. my brother said he wanted to high school. they felt like they could be more motivated to do more work

in the school environment. john: you wrote a wall street journal op-ed about this. that is how you came to our attention. >> yes, i did. jeremiah, do you have regrets at all? >> no. john: you sound pretty certain. and just in the past four years you have tried private school, that was too expensive, public school and you were bullied? >> i was bullied almost on a weekly basis because i was small and i was in kindergarten. i didn't know how to fend for myself. john: one guy threatened to take your watch? >> yes, i brought a little toy watches what he said that he would kill my family i didn't give him the watch. i was scared because of this. john: are you being homeschool because you're hiding from government school? >> no, no, it also works because

i'm an actor. i perform and i sing. it's good because i can have a big audition monday. then i can do school another day if i'm busy all day with the show. i usually do it on a weekend, sometimes a holiday. because that is when most of the schools are shut down and there is not really auditions. john: it is not just her parents teaching. you take life classes on the web? >> yes. >> i attend an online school, so schedule classes during the week and i go on and attend. but i can do that from home. john: so how would your curriculum added things like that? >> it would fit in. and i think the extra activity is very important that you have pointed out. but i think the important thing that they are talking about, one is self-directed. they pick and choose what they want to do in their life, that

is what a good program would be like. but the other thing would be it seems to me that they are enjoying what they are doing and all you have to do is look at what is happening in public schools. there's a lot of boredom and no fun. john: i'm going to stop you. we shouldn't call it public school. government school. there is a difference. thank you doctor ron paul. and thank you both for coming on. something coming up more radical than homeschooling. these kids like it. i. >> it's so amazing that i can come here everyday and do whatever i want [ male announcer ] if you had a dollar for every dollar car insurance companies say they'll save you by switching,

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john: i went to public school, or government school. supposedly a good one. a good one in chicago. one that routinely makes lists in chicago. i got to go there because i live in a nice neighborhood. most americans are sunday school based on where we live. people accept that, but that is crazy. what if you were assigned to your neighborhood grocery store? the store would have no incentive to improve. just like today's government

school. fortunately some states now offer vouchers that allow some poor people to try a school outside of their neighborhood. parents love it, louisiana some 8000 kids got voucher money this year, most use it to go to a private school. so parents love it, kids like it, but eric holder, u.s. attorney general said last month that the department of justice went to stop louisiana from issuing some of those vouchers. why is that? eric holder claims it will interfere with his desegregation effort. he would not come on the show to explain, so let's ask louisiana congressman steve scalise. what's going on? >> the state estate within a program that allows 8000 children that are low income to have options if they are in a failing school. eric holder is saying that the students should be trapped in

these failing schools and not have options if their parents to give them to send them to a scha better life. it shows the warped priorities in the obama administration. john: we a second company have a reason for this. they say that the vouchers impeded the desegregation process. last year, louisiana vouchers increased racial imbalances in 34 schools. >> i do not know where they are making those numbers up front. 90% of the students we are talking about a minority students. their parents are the ones that say that we want our children to be removed from the failing school so they are not trapped in a place where they can't get an education go somewhere else where they have better opportunity in life. why should we deny them that opportunity? is a late appearance thing that i don't want my children to be trapped in a school that is rated to be failing. this only applies to schools by

the state rating system. for the record, when we think of government schools, this big melting pot. but they are more segregated segregated now the private schools and one found that different races were more likely to get together and not self segregate and private schools. >> absolutely. allowing this program to go forward, it's been a very successful program and the parents love it. helping the parents, children are trapped in failing schools. eric holder says that i don't care, you should be trapped in a failing schools that we can engage in some kind of social experiment in washington dc. and let me talk on an odd idea from the last. there is an idea that say that if you send your kid to private school, you are a bad person.

and it is important to preserve for the public school. but it would rule in one of the most essential institutions to get what is best for your kid. for the common good. >> anyone who is disgraceful enough to try to take cheap shots at someone's children, i think it says a lot about their character. but if you look at this across the country, whether it is white or black or rich or poor, they are still paying taxes that go to public school, and that is one fewer school but the public has to educate. so it takes money away from the public schools if you shut down private school system. so i'm not sure what they are trying to achieve. maybe they just want to dumb down the system. but the fact that you have public and private schools shows that there is a need to fill a void. that if i think there is a better option to educate my children, why would you want to deny them the opportunity for better education? >> indeed. thank you congressman steve

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and new customers through the door. see how constant contact's products and people can help you grow your business. start your free trial at constantcontact.com. >> who are we? >> usa. [cheers] the one that was a teachers union protest outside my office because they were mad about what i said on him on 2020 mac some shouted stossel, shame on you. because i criticized tenure and union rules that make it almost impossible to fire a bad teacher. these rules are even bad for good teachers because the best don't get paid more. as bad as the rules are, there is a place where they are worse. union teachers have been able to

sell their teaching jobs in mexico or give them to other family members. they, too, could never be fired. now, union teachers in mexico are rioting because the new government there changed the rules. here to explain this is the report of the covers "the wall street journal" for latin america, mary o'grady. >> thank you for having me do and i consider good news because maybe the protesters will win. >> there is a long way to go. but the teachers union in mexico is the largest event in latin america. presidents have been unwilling to touch the privileges of the teachers union for almost eight years. john: they can really sell their jobs as part of their union deal? >> they had, more credible than that, when you graduated, from the teaching school, you were guaranteed a job, and once you

started that job you had tenure for the rest of your life. john: and you got tenure immediately? >> yes. >> i once asked an american teachers union boss about tenure, one of the few that talk to me. one that heads the new york teachers union. most professions do not have tenure. >> you have to be in a person. which is a nice thing is the one you are and forever unless you die or are killed. >> well, there is that perspective of it. john: he is laughing, and this is just the way it is in most schools. why do you accept this? >> i think in mexico because of the poor country. people think that what they really want to get is access. and it's only recently that i think that the awareness is growing in the country that if

mexicans are not educated, they are not going to be part of the middle class. he wants a new president says i want to change this, these riots have gone off and on for more than a month. they went on before they voted on the new rules. but the rules didn't have. >> desk mic and a pass because they are not satisfied with growing a little corner in the backyard anymore. they want the more high-tech jobs that are coming into mexico because of the north american free trade agreement and they want to be part of that scene. so even special interest, the teachers union, remains very powerful. as you can see, very activist. a large percentage backs the president on this one. >> when teachers unions protest, they are noisy and disruptive. but in mexico, they take hostages and they shut the whole city down. >> yes. i think it has backfired on him, particularly when they did it and people couldn't get to the

airport and a lot of the boulevards were closed because mexico city already has a big traffic problems. >> wanted it continue? >> they think that they can get it changed back and they also think that they can push back with the process of implementation and that is really one of the big question that remains out there. they change the law in the book, but is this going to be really implemented? >> a few years ago a teachers union boss planned to give 59 brand-new hummers to union officials until people heard about it and protested? >> yes. this explains why it has been so powerful. imagine that the particular unit has 1.4 million members. they collect dues from all the teachers and goes into a pot and there's no transparency or lobby for the union has to show how the money is spent. that particular union boss actually is in jail right now because the president had her arrested. but the other thing is that they

could use the money to spread around to the politicians. we don't know. i'm making allegations. i'm fairly certain that they are probably true. but it has all been one big black box. john: protesters are taking hostages? >> yes, they said that we are going to take these hostages and hold onto them until you guaranteed teaching jobs for graduates of the school. john: what happened? >> they eventually let him go, but the problem remains. they just have kind of moved on them for new hostages, i suppose. >> the teachers union exists in many countries because the world copies america. schools get government funding. they have little real competition. often the result schools worse than ours. as what is a parent to do. a british researcher was surprised to discover that even in the poorest places, parents will pay two centers kids to private school.

>> even in these places where parents earn only a dollar a day. they will often take their kids out a three government schools and instead pay typically a dollar a week so their children can attend private schools like this one. >> can you imagine, six private schools? will be found was that in poor areas like this, majority schoolchildren are in private school. and these schools outperform the government schools at a fraction of the teacher crossed. john: in latin america? >> anyone who has the money to send their child to a private school in latin latin america will do it because they know that that is their ticket into the middle class. without it they are going to have a very rough time.

>> because the teachers just don't show up, they sit there, they don't teach? >> precisely. they perform very badly. mexican schools are at the bottom of the rankings. thirty-fourth out of 30 countries in terms of the achievements of the students. a very poor job. john: thank you, mary o'grady. if you'd like to keep the conversation going, go to twitter or facebook and use that hash tag let people know what you think. i would like to see what you think as well. coming up, ray are schools where kids actually like learning. >> reading his work, but it's awesome. >> next, a school with no rules. >> would you do in public school that is different from here? >> everything is different from public school. >> you get to have fun all

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john: you have heard of homeschooling. we talked about it tonight. it was recently considered radical. politicians said that we must be in charge of education. parents cannot teach them and if they do, their kids won't socialize. now we know that is not true an average home homeschooled kids do very well. even homeschool has structure that the parent is the teacher, today most radical form is called on schooling. where the parent does not teach and there are no tests and the kids do whatever they want. i was surprised to learn that there are also schools that practice does. kennedy checked one out in massachusetts. >> if i show up for school, what is my daylight? >> beats me. john: at the school there are no classes were tests and

curriculum. students are only required to show up for five hours a day. >> when you get here, you have to check and. >> okay. >> you leave, you have to check out. that's the only thing you have to have for a requirement. >> it is so amazing to come here and know that i can come and do whatever i want. >> sometimes they play video games. john: others play music for hours. >> why did you start the school? >> my wife and i have children and her oldest child was getting to be school age. and it was a horrible prospect. they do their best to destroy the natural interests and the passions of children. john: here nothing is forced on kids, not even learning to read. >> achieving children will figure that out when a.

>> i taught myself how to read. >> kennedy do not? >> i don't know, i just tried and tried? >> one of the things that was cool about being here as i didn't know if i wanted to go to college last year. it's not like anyone's telling you, yes, you need to go to college. my path has led me to going to college. >> at first it seemed like there were no rules, but there are rules. it's just that the kids have an equal say in making the rules. one vote per kid. >> may decide everything. and that means the collection of students and adults. there is no hierarchy there whatsoever. >> when he they opened the school, everyone was skeptical. >> the lead lawyer was piecing back and forth. 4-year-olds had the vote,. >> but that is not what happened. the kids went accordingly. >> is basically a school

courtroom? >> just iraq instead of telling the teacher this or that, it is like a homeschool. >> i am so surprised that they don't give themselves can be if they have this control. >> since they govern themselves, they are in charge of their own education, they are in charge and much harder on themselves than any teachers or administrators would be and you have this range in age from for her soul to 19 years old. a bunch of them don't want for your old bouncing off the wall are high on sugar. john: so some of them spent all day playing video games? >> that would be my worry. i think most parents feel that way. i was really surprised to see that many kids were gathering all different ages, they were collaborating, many of them were in the art studio, they were painting, they were playing music. john: were any learning math and

difficult things? >> they say that they do. the hard thing for an outsider to measure greatly saw kids who were engaged on computers. they weren't necessarily playing computer games. it might've been doing intensede sitting around reading by themselves enact a must muslim something. because the parents choose this, it is a private school that they have to pay $8000 for? >> gas. there our are parents that are honestly nontraditional. for whom public school does not work, they don't like the model, it doesn't work, so they seek the school out of the way for their kids to really be in charge of themselves. and they trust -- trust is the most important thing. they trust that their kids will learn. >> must go to college? >> 85% we were told by the founders, go on to college. >> so parents told them that

cool gadgets like learning? >> what is it about the school that attracts you? >> well, he wants to come, which has not been the case in several other schools. he told the other day that, wake me up, for sure. [laughter] what have you done with my teenager that sleeps until two in the afternoon. [laughter] >> would you do in public school that is different from here? >> everything is different from public school from here. >> the kids come out for recess and it's like being let out of prison. >> our kids not like that. they don't even have to be like that. >> how would you describe your school? >> i go to school with my friends. >> if you are going to build your perfect school, what would it be like remapped. >> this. >> definitely. >> the kids of state is perfect, but colleges want a transcript. they want great.

>> there are no grades or greater transcriptional classes. there is nothing like that. they prepare themselves for the sat's, they organize higher math and their own education. sometimes they cram it in. last year, they manage to get into college when they want to go. >> there are dozens of schools like this around the world trying to measure when they don't take a standardized test. but the fact that this is not new. but that school is like this. >> they gave them him the hardest time. so they have survived and thrived regardless of people's political affiliation trying to keep them down. >> you send your kids? >> i would think about nontraditional methods. i was certainly intrigued by it. but there is a giant cause them to overcome in order to get your kids to go there. i do not think i've overcome not quite yet. but it is interesting.

john: kennedy, thank you. later, escaping the education blob by using your computer. we will explain coming up [ male announcer ] has your phone turned you into a control freak? like, scoring the perfect table? ♪ or getting a better seat? ♪ or let's say there's an accident. if you he esurance, you can use their mobile app to start a claim...

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john: finally, technology making things easier for teachers, often more fun for students. there is a website called stumble upon which helps people find the best webpages. the head of growth is 24-year-old erin jen. his latest project is finding new ways that technology can enhance education. aaron ginn, are you going to do something called a hacked eighta hack-a-thon? >> yes. >> today means creativity. so you have to talk about how you create an outcome. and it is when you usually have

24 hours or more to solve a problem. >> you are doing this in miami october 11 and the winner gets a 5000-dollar prize after coding for 24 hours straight? >> yes, they make a goal without certain with a certain amount of time to find something that's a very creative solution. >> what makes you so certain that technology has solutions in this? >> is already working right now. we can see a lot of successful education popping up. john: is an online academy who once tutored his young cousin with math. >> that worked out well. to save time he posted his lectures on youtube. he was descrrbed surprise to

discover that soon millions had watched him. now he is funded by bill gates and he offers web lectures on everything from history to economics to computer science. >> he does happen to be good at teaching? >> just. >> bringing his skill threatened to block. >> there's a huge bureaucracy to change this is or block this. it is called the blob. i think we are able to reach students outside of the. >> inside as well. at first teachers felt threatened, but most came around when they saw how their kids got excited about learning. >> i'm happy to walk in the door every morning. excited about math. it's like, oh, my goodness. >> it is way more fun. >> finally after all these years, kids being bored in school are not learning math in

knots over? >> i think it might be. >> so what other new things would make a difference? two we have another start of this which is part of education where you can go on there and search new topics and winning the coding and there is a teacher online. consumers now can go and can learn from the best in the area without ever having us. they pay a fee, whatever the teacher wants to spend there are multiple teachers competing for that same group of students. john: there is something else also called school-ology. what is that? >> it's where they get a daily report card, making communicative upgrades or participation and extracurricular activities. >> the parent no longer has to

wait? >> yeah, especially so you can make changes really quickly. >> then there is remind 101. what is that? >> that was started by one of my friends and he basically always had trouble remembering what was due the next day. what did he have to turn in, so he developed this platform, which basically allows teachers to text message their students. john: had asked michigan students and teachers how to use this? >> most others use her mind once or 12 minus of upcoming quizzes or tests. >> many look at their phones instantly. john: a harvard study found technology increased in the classroom participation and homework being turned in increased? >> the response rates is usually

over 80% and you think about how we use text messaging now. you automatically try to click it. students, people my age were always on the phone, we are always texting. >> and i hate all of you. [laughter] john: i don't really. next, more good news. kids like a school. >> if you teach it in a fun way. [ male announcer ] at his current pace, bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade.

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john: many americans say public schools, government schools or one of the best parts of america. they are a melting pot and we are all added together. they built the country. i believe that but the and tell i started reporting on schools now i say government schools are one of the worst parts of america. they are boring more segregated than private schools can much more expensive. the education blob says schools are underfunded and kids do better if only we give them more money. spending has gone through the roof all the rest passes a budget this course they have flat wind to a the bottom. also to demand smaller

classrooms but they did not increase performance. so they spent billions with smaller schools and that did not help. i give gates credit he spent his own money than when he found no improvement he tried other ideas. in contrast with the government blob spends your money that would it fails they continue in the way. build business can get away with that that is why almost every service america has done better, faster, cheaper , but not education. a monopoly does not improve. course american parents especially those in the suburbs think their school is pretty good but because there is no competition they don't know the truth. international tests show even the good suburban schools where mediocre compared to the rest of the world but with no competition parents don't

know what their kids might have had. few of us can imagine the possibility and tell me see the options. when all calls were expensive only with the monopoly was best adapted begin competition in the cheap phone calls in the cool phones that we have now. competition makes the difference. the postal service could not get there overnighte of their billion managers could make it happen in. but once fed ex. appeared? >> positively has to be there overnight. john: then suddenly the postal service could get there overnight. sometimes. it is not that the government is staffed by these the people but we really think of better ways to do things intel competition forces us. if it were free market and education school would get

much better in compete for the best teachers that might make $200,000 per year. they already spend more than the per classroom and it would create all sorts of innovation. i don't know which would be best but as hayek put it competition is a discovering process. nobody knows which is best until they try. they have finally given that blob some competition thanks to birchers and tax credits they like going to school but i never did. is boring. >> no. >> can teach us in a fun way >> you like school? been the guest. >> they were in school in harlem. once they realize he likes

to go to school then maybe they will join the fight. then eventually all of us will have much better.