Teach the Babies w/ Dr. David J. Johns Podcast By Dr. David J. Johns & Thomas Cunningham IV cover art

Teach the Babies w/ Dr. David J. Johns

Teach the Babies w/ Dr. David J. Johns

By: Dr. David J. Johns & Thomas Cunningham IV
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On Teach the Babies with Dr. David J. Johns, we’re examining the intersection of education, access, race, and how government impacts the teaching of our babies.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.Dr. David J. Johns World
Episodes
  • AI Is Not Coming for You. It's Waiting on You with Dee Marshall

    AI Is Not Coming for You. It's Waiting on You with Dee Marshall
    Apr 14 2026
    AI is already here. The question is whether it's working for you—or leaving you behind. In this conversation, Dr. David J. Johns sits down with Dee C. Marshall, CEO of AI Training Plus, creator of the Free by 3™ methodology, and founder of the inaugural Global AI Adoption Day—a people-first movement she's building to be for AI literacy what International Women's Day is for gender equity. Dee breaks down the biggest AI myths keeping people stuck, explains why closing the AI divide is one of the most urgent equity issues of our time, and gives the class practical tools to start their AI journey today—no tech background required. This one is for the babies, the parents, the educators, the community leaders, and everyone who has ever felt like AI wasn't made for them. It was. And May 6th is your moment to prove it.

    SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

    Resources Mentioned:
    • Global AI Adoption Day (May 6): www.aiadoptionday.com
    • AI Training Plus: www.aitrainingplus.com
    • Google Gemini: gemini.google.com
    • Anthropic (Claude): claude.ai
    • Perplexity (research & fact-checking): perplexity.ai
    • Microsoft Copilot (enterprise/closed source): copilot.microsoft.com
    Connect with Dee:
    • LinkedIn: Dee C. Marshall
    • Instagram: @deecmarshall


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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    37 mins
  • How Vouchers Are Destroying Public Schools with Fred Jones

    How Vouchers Are Destroying Public Schools with Fred Jones
    Apr 7 2026
    Vouchers aren't new—they're the same resistance to integration we've been fighting since 1954.

    Fred Jones (Southern Education Foundation) joins the class to trace a direct line from Brown v. Board of Education to today's federal tax credit voucher program. The history is ugly: after Brown, Southern states created 450 laws to block desegregation. They funneled public money to "segregation academies"—and 300 still exist today.

    Now it's happening again. The 2026 federal voucher program lets families earning up to $491,700 in some areas access public dollars for private schools that can legally discriminate. Meanwhile, public schools lose $51 billion annually.Fred breaks down what vouchers actually are, who benefits (hint: not Black families), and what the data shows after 50 years of failure. Most importantly, he tells us exactly what to do right now, whether you're a parent, educator, or concerned citizen.

    Class, the babies are watching. What are we teaching them?

    Read the Full Report:
    • Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program Memo - Southern Education Foundation
    Organizations Fighting for Public Education:
    • Southern Education Foundation
    • Public Funds for Public Schools
    • Education Law Center
    • Learning Policy Institute
    Take Action:
    • Contact your governor about opting out of the federal voucher program
    • Attend school board meetings and speak up
    • Request accountability data from your state on voucher spending


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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    34 mins
  • Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis on DEI, Public Schools, and Refusing to Stop

    Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis on DEI, Public Schools, and Refusing to Stop
    Mar 31 2026
    In this conversation, Dr. David Johns welcomes back a colleague, a co-conspirator, and a genuine friend from their Obama White House days—Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis—for an honest, urgent, and surprisingly joyful conversation about the state of public education in America and what it demands of all of us, in spite of this moment.

    Zakiya brings her full toolkit: the policy precision of a former Senior Advisor on the White House Domestic Policy Council and U.S. Department of Education, the grounded clarity of New Jersey's former Secretary of Higher Education, and the voice of a mother who—in spite of best-laid plans—had to pause this very recording to redirect her daughter and close a door. Together, she and David break down the federal push to require all recipients of federal funding to certify they don't operate "illegal DEI" programs, unpacking what those words actually mean, what the courts have repeatedly said, and why the vagueness is entirely the point. They take on the narrative that public schools are failing, the difference between an executive order and the law of the land, and what Black families—and all families invested in democracy—should be asking, demanding, and refusing to be intimidated into silence about.

    In spite of what's being torn down, Zakiya insists we are still living in the house. And she wants us to start dreaming about what we're going to build.

    SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

    Organizations doing critical work right now:
    • NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) — ldf.org
    • Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law — lawyerscommittee.org
    • Democracy Forward — democracyforward.org
    • LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) — lulac.org
    • EducationCounsel — educationcounsel.com (weekly plain-language updates on the latest policy and legal developments)
    Follow Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis:
    • Substack: zakiyaellis.substack.com
    • Instagram: @zakiyasmithellis


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.
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    34 mins
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