The Right Idea

Hosts Brian Phillips and Derek Cohen dive into the critical issue of indoctrination in K-12 education with special guest Ken Pope, CEO of the Coalition for Empowered Education and Senior Fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. They discuss how Colleges of Education are shaping teachers with ideological agendas, the impact on classrooms, and solutions to restore critical thinking and balanced education. From Marxist influences to grassroots efforts, this conversation uncovers the challenges parents face and how to combat politicized curricula.

00:30 - Brian and Derek catch up: New baby and festival banter
01:27 - Hot Take: Craziest band names at ACL 2025 (Wet Leg, Spacey Jane, Panda Bear, Dr. Dog)
04:00 - Introducing Ken Pope: CEO of Coalition for Empowered Education
06:47 - How Colleges of Education have shifted to ideological indoctrination
08:52 - The long march of critical theory in academia
12:03 - Exposure vs. Indoctrination: What’s the difference?
14:57 - From Marxism to modern victimology: Evolution of classroom ideologies
17:16 - Are teachers trained to be activists?
19:43 - The disconnect between parents and teachers’ goals
21:20 - Indoctrination in rural and urban schools alike
23:35 - What are education students actually learning?
24:27 - Shocking examples from social studies conferences
29:51 - Coalition for Empowered Education’s mission to retrain teachers
33:56 - Legislative and grassroots solutions to reform teacher training
37:46 - Universities doing it right: Hillsdale, UATX, and others
40:56 - Why mandate Colleges of Education? Alternative teacher certification
44:39 - Red flags for parents: How to spot indoctrination in classrooms
49:56 - How to connect with the Coalition for Empowered Education
50:28 - Closing thoughts and Sam Houston’s wisdom
 
Coalition for Empowered Education: https://cee.org

Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation: https://victimsofcommunism.org

Creators and Guests

Host
Brian Phillips
Brian Phillips is the Chief Communications Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. For over a decade, Brian has helped policymakers and political candidates develop effective messages and communication strategies. Phillips is a veteran of presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial campaigns, and has extensive experience working in the United States Congress and public policy think tanks.
Host
Derek M. Cohen
Derek M. Cohen, Ph.D, is the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Chief Policy & Research Officer and Right on Crime Senior Fellow. Previously the Vice President of Policy and director of Right on Crime, the Foundation’s criminal justice reform initiative, Cohen was instrumental in the passage of the First Step Act, federal legislation that borrowed from successful changes to prisons and sentencing that he had helped pass in conservative states. In addition to leading the Foundation’s work on criminal justice, he is also the lead researcher of firearms policy.

What is The Right Idea?

The Right Idea: The Texas Public Policy Foundation's weekly look at the people, policy, and politics that drive Texas.