The U.S. Department of Education publicly defended homeschooling after podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan criticized the practice during an episode of their “I’ve Had It” podcast.
Responding on X, the department wrote, “Homeschoolers, like the winner of the Presidential 1776 Award, have demonstrated their ability to succeed at the highest level time and time again. The proven value of homeschooling should never be dismissed as ‘trickle-down stupidity.’ The only thing that is stupid is your ignorance.”
During the podcast, the hosts argued that homeschooling is harmful, describing it with profane language and claiming it reflects a broader cultural and religious problem. Welch, who has previously criticized Christianity, characterized homeschooling as “trickle-down stupidity” and associated it with conservative politics. Sullivan questioned parents who choose to spend all day with their children and expressed skepticism toward Christians who homeschool.
Their remarks sparked backlash from conservative commentators, including Glenn Beck, who sarcastically challenged Welch to debate a 15-year-old homeschool student, defending homeschool families and their educational outcomes.
