Texas Charter School Expansion, Teacher Burnout and the Threat to Education for Children of Immigrants

In this episode, Dr. Bob Sanborn is joined by co-host Natalie González, Development Coordinator at CHILDREN AT RISK. Between swapping stories about the evolving world of education and investigating the soft v. hard “looksmaxxing'' trend on social media, we’re diving into:

Empowering Educators in 2026: Jessica Dirks, Partnership Director at K12 Coalition, brings her unique background in law and teaching to the conversation, unpacking the biggest challenges facing educators today, from burnout and retention to AI technology.

Texas Charter School Growth: Dr. David DeMatthews, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at UT Austin, breaks down new research on charter school expansion across Texas and the consequences for special education services, funding and lower income students.

Plyler v. Doe & Children of Immigrants: Krystal Gomez, Managing Attorney at the Texas Immigration Law Council, explains why this landmark Supreme Court decision is back in the spotlight, what’s at stake for children of immigrants, and how shifting policies around deportation and family separation is affecting families.

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