Future of Education Podcast S2E331: Why We Don't Say the Pledge: Keeping Politics Out of Education
May 12, 2026
They debate keeping politics out of classrooms and making education nonpartisan. Core school values like love of learning, accelerated academics, and life skills get highlighted. They explain opting out of daily Pledge recitation in favor of active civics education. They discuss designing new school models, expanding into public systems, and policy ideas for unused district buildings.
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Education Should Transcend Partisan Identity
- Education should be nonpartisan and focus on unlocking kids' potential rather than enforcing ideology.
- MacKenzie Price argues shared educational commitments (love school, learn fast, build life skills) unite families across political lines.
Prioritize Deep Knowledge Before Critical Thinking
- Teach academics deeply because critical thinking requires factual knowledge as its foundation.
- MacKenzie emphasizes rigorous academics plus life skills so students have reliable facts to reason from and avoid 'hallucination.'
Force Students To Argue The Opposite Side
- Teach students to argue both sides by having them research and present opposing positions.
- MacKenzie describes the 'Both Sides' exercise where students pitch their position and then the exact opposite to build empathy and understanding.