Sacha Rappmund started kindergarten at Hogg Elementary this fall. Hundreds of families who live in homes nearby choose to send their children elsewhere, but Sacha’s parents, Denise and Peter Bo Rappmund, like what the school has to offer their son.
In our new podcast, “The Uninformed Parent,” Denise Rappmund talks about the process of choosing James S. Hogg Elementary School for her son, Sacha. Her own research and the perspectives of friends helped, but she also leaned on expertise from reporters who cover education on a national scale.
People like MacCarthur Genius Nikole Hannah-Jones of the New York Times Magazine and Alvin Chang of Vox “have been very influential on opening my eyes to get behind the numbers and the data on some of these schools,” Rappmund says. “One of the things I learned early on is that when you see low test scores, it doesn’t mean it’s a ‘bad school.’ ”
Rappmund suggests that parents listen to Hannah-Jones’ on This American Life, both the first and second episodes of “The Problem We All Live With,” which was Rappmund’s first introduction to the writer and reporter. She also suggests reading Hannah-Jones’ personal story of choosing a school for her own daughter, and more insights from her in this NPR interview.
Vox’s story of how school segregation has evolved rather than disappeared also impacted Rappmund, as did his interview with Krys Boyd on KERA’s Think.
Listen to the podcast to hear more of Rappmund’s story, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Android or RSS so you won’t miss future episodes.
