​Many public policy debates in recent years have focused on the concept of equity, and what impact race and ethnicity have on opportunity for the next generation. This week’s podcast guest believes we need to replace equity with agency, as a more compelling – and more effective – vision to help young people of all races lead successful and fulfilling lives.

Ian Rowe is the cofounder of Vertex Partnership Academies, a network of character-based International Baccalaureate high schools inaugurated in the Bronx in 2022. He is also a senior fellow at AEI, and the author of Agency: The Four Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for All Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power.

Ian joins host Nic Dunn to discuss his experiences as an educator, his assessment of the evidence of what actually helps children succeed in adulthood and why he wrote a book to provide an alternative to the equity-based debates that so often permeate public dialogue.
Show notes:

• Agency – A New Book from AEI’s Ian V. Rowe (thefreeframework.com)
• The Privilege Hiding in Plain Sight – Ian Rowe in National Review
• FREE Landing Page | American Enterprise Institute – AEI

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.