Lost Debate
back to showEp. 424
The Most Important Educator in America
Poverty doesn’t have to limit a child’s education—and Eva Moskowitz built Success Academy to prove it. Ravi sits down with the charter school network’s founder to explore how her students outperform some of New York’s wealthiest districts—and what other schools can learn from her model. They discuss high expectations, intensive teacher training, and why she believes more funding alone won’t fix a broken system. Ravi also presses Moskowitz on criticism of her schools and what it would take to give every child an excellent education.
LISTEN Wherever you GET YOUR PODCASTS
SHOW NOTES
- Success Academy
- Eva Moskowitz
- The Education of Eva Moskowitz
- A+ Parenting
- Mission Possible
- How the Other Half Learns — Robert Pondiscio’s book about Success Academy. (21:58–23:42)
- Eva Moskowitz’s interview with Nat Malkus about attendance — Ravi explicitly promises to link it. (55:10)
- Nikole Hannah-Jones’s article about her child’s public school. (09:07)
- Moskowitz’s written response to Hannah-Jones’s article. (09:07–10:48)
- Ravi’s earlier podcast coverage of Moskowitz’s response. (09:07)
- NY State Education Department’s press release about sharing AP data with U.S. News & World Report. (37:48–40:58)
- U.S. News & World Report high-school rankings. (38:06–40:58)
- A New York Board of Regents meeting clip — Ravi references an animal/tree analogy during a discussion of academic standards. (41:41–42:30)
- The New York Times reporting on a Success Academy principal’s list of students allegedly targeted for removal. (43:07–47:23)
- WNYC’s investigation into Success Academy’s student attrition. (47:23–48:30)
- Moskowitz’s City Council education hearings and NYC union contracts — teachers, custodians, and principals. (02:36–08:50)
- Supporting data: NYC school spending (10:48–12:45); Success Academy’s academic results and demographics (33:48–37:40); absenteeism and attrition figures (52:42–54:55), 2026 Public School vs Charter School Performance Comparison, New York State Education Department Public Data Resource
