Harden Schools, Fix Education, Put Purpose Before Pills

Solving America's Problems · Mar 4, 2026 · 26m · transcript

Stronger doors, working locks, bulletproof glass — $500 million could make every American school safe. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley break down why that hasn't happened, then pivot to a harder problem: schools that don't teach. Miami-Dade has buildings at roughly 30% occupancy turning out graduates who can't read, and political resistance blocks every attempt to fix it. They debate where they disagree — check-ins, legislation, enforcement — and land on a throughline: purpose, not pills. Community intervention in the 50 zip codes where violence concentrates, mental health…