In episode 42, Michael and Dan interview education journalist and former teacher Allie Gross on what we can learn from Betsy DeVos and school choice in Michigan.

Books, articles, lessons, and other amazing resources

1. Clip of Tim Kaine questioning Betsy DeVos at her confirmation hearing that we discussed in the beginning of the episode.
2. Gross, A. (2017, January 13th). Besty Devos’s Accountability Problem.The Atlantic.
3. Gross, A. (2016, December 19th). Out of options. VICE. (This is the primary article we discuss on the gutting of Detroit’s public schools due to school choice)
4. Zernike, K. (2016, December 12). How Trump’s education nominee bent Detroit to her will on charter schools. New York Times.
5. Gross, A. (2016, June 8). Detroit school legislation backed by charter advocates was years in the making. Detriot Metro Times.
6. Gross, A. (2014, July 14). The charter school profiteers. Jacobin. (This article details the charter school Allie taught at and discussed in the episode) 
7. You can find more on Allie’s work on her site – allisongross.com
8. Bonus episode 34 connection: Betsy DeVos helped fund opposition to the “Teacher’s Caucus” in Oklahoma, including friend of the podcast and Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Shawn Sheehan

Contact 

Per her website, Allie Gross is a freelance journalist based in Detroit. Her work has appeared in Jacobin, VICE, Slate, GOOD, the Atlantic, FiveThirtyEight and Mother Jones. Prior to pursuing a career in journalism. Allie worked as a 5th-grade teacher in Detroit, where she co-founded Detroit Charter Data a website aiming to bring accountability, transparency, and coherency to the city’s education landscape. You can connect with her on twitter (@allie_elisabeth) or via email (allison.elisabeth@gmail.com).