It’s back to school, and while school shootings are a given, actual education is not. It’s September 2025 and the Department of Education is being systematically dismantled while the policy impacts of the Trump administration are only set to make things worse. From food insecurity for children who get fed at school, to school closures, to policy decisions that tell us what we can and cannot teach. Nothing is as it should be. As today’s guest, Dr. Lester is the author of the upcoming book From Dropout to Doctorate: Breaking the Chains of Educational Injustice. Dr. Lester writes: education inequality isn’t theoretical, it’s real. Behind every data point about dropout rates, underfunded schools, or academic failures there real people with potential who were left behind. Why are we abandoning the very people we’ll need in the future to make our world a safer and smarter place? As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free and it, and the the rants delivered directly to your inbox so even if we’re shut out of social media, you’ll still get access to the most highly researched, factual information available. Independent media needs your support now more than ever. Go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!! Thank you so much! xoPG Guest social: https://terencelester.com/ https://www.instagram.com/imterencelester/ https://x.com/imTerenceLester https://www.facebook.com/imterencelester https://www.linkedin.com/in/imterencelester/ https://www.youtube.com/@imterencelester Please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward! All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl This episode is sponsored by… https://laundrysauce.com code: PoliticsGirl20 https://iRestore.com code: PoliticsGirl https://calm.com/politicsgirl IQBar: TEXT PG to 64000