Why Won’t America Invest in Its Teachers?

This week, Igor sits down with Oklahoma's "Teacher of the Year," Jon Hazell, to discuss why teachers are striking; CAP's director of K-12 Strategic Initiatives, Lisette Partelow, also joins.

Education, Education, K-12

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Teachers across the country are striking for higher pay and more school funding. Igor sat down with Oklahoma’s “Teacher of the Year,” Jon Hazell, a high school life sciences teacher who is also a Republican. Hazell shares his experiences working in Oklahoma after decades of deep budget cuts, which require him and his wife to work five jobs between them in order to make a living. He also talks about his now viral confrontation with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on school choice. Lisette Partelow, director of K-12 Strategic Initiatives at CAP and a former teacher, also joins to discuss why teachers in the United States are some of the lowest-paid around the world.

Learn more about the podcast here.

Igor Volsky is a vice president at the Center for American Progress. Michele Jawando is a vice president at the Center. Sally Tucker is the radio coordinator for Communications at the Center. Rachel Rosen is the senior director of Broadcast Communications at the Center. Lisette Partelow is the director of K-12 Strategic Initiatives at the Center.

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