GET THEM HERE AT THE LIVE DESK >>REPORTS SHOW TWO THIRDS OF AMERICAN KIDS ARE NOT READING ON GRADE LEVEL WITH THE NUMBERS. EVEN WORSE IN MATH FOR MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS AROUND THE COUNTRY. AND NOW CRITICS BLASTING THE ABC NEWS DEBATE MODERATORS FOR NOT GRILLING THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ON OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM, WHICH OF COURSE, AFFECTS OUR COUNTRY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. JOINING US TO DISCUSS THIS IS THE DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH FOR PARENTS DEFENDING EDUCATION, ERIKA SANZI. GOOD MORNING. NOW YOU SAY, SADLY, YOU WERE NOT SURPRISED THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE QUESTION ABOUT EDUCATION. WHY NOT >>BECAUSE I SPENT OVER A DECADE BEING DISAPPOINTED AFTER WATCHING DEBATES. I'M HOPING THAT THERE'LL BE A QUESTION ABOUT EDUCATION, AND THERE REALLY ALMOST NEVER IS UNFORTUNATELY, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT THE THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE FOR VOTERS. THAT'S FAIR ENOUGH. I THINK, FOR PEOPLE TO ADMIT. BUT CERTAINLY IT IS A HUGE ISSUE AND HAS BECOME A MUCH BIGGER ISSUE IN RECENT YEARS AND, YOU KNOW, THEIR QUESTION SELECTION WAS MEDIOCRE AT BEST. SO WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT, EDUCATION AND ALSO TO LIKELY BE THE ONLY TIME THESE TWO EVEN MEET ON A DEBATE STAGE. >>ALSO TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS MUCH MORE INVOLVED IN K THROUGH 12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION THAN I THINK THE AMERICAN PUBLIC REALIZES. SO TELL US WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE WANTED TO HEAR. >>I MEAN, CERTAINLY I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO HEAR SOMETHING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT FAMILIES PARTICULARLY LOW INCOME FAMILIES, ARE PRETTY TRAPPED IN SCHOOLS BASED ON THEIR RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS, WHICH IS, I MEAN OBVIOUSLY A TOTAL INJUSTICE. SO I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE HEARD EACH OF THEM RESPOND TO A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT WOULD THEY DO TO PROVIDE MORE OPTIONS FOR FAMILIES, BUT AGAIN, ESPECIALLY LOW INCOME FAMILIES, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SORT OF TRAPPED IN CHRONICALLY FAILING SCHOOLS FOR GENERATIONS. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING. ANOTHER THING I REALLY WOULD HAVE WANTED TO HAVE SEEN THE MODERATORS PRESS ON. AND HONESTLY, I DOUBT THEY EVEN KNOW ABOUT THIS IF I'M BEING HONEST, IS THAT THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION REWROTE TITLE NINE. AS WE'VE DISCUSSED BEFORE, AND THAT REALLY MEANS THAT ANYBODY WHO SUPPORTS THAT REWRITE, WHICH IT APPEARS KAMALA HARRIS DOES, I WOULD HAVE WANTED HER TO COME OUT AND SAY, YES, I AGREE WITH IT. I THINK THAT BOYS AND MALES SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENTER GIRLS AND WOMEN'S SPACES AND PLAY ON THEIR SPORTS TEAMS AND SLEEP IN THEIR HOTEL ROOMS ON OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIPS, YOU KNOW, I WOULD HAVE WANTED HER TO SAY YES. I THINK WE NEED TO ROLL BACK THE DUE PROCESS THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES, IN CASES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, I REALLY THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NAIL IN THIS CASE, HER DOWN ON WHAT THAT REWRITE MEANS. AND GET HER TO ADMIT THAT IT ESSENTIALLY GUTS THE ENTIRE, TITLE. YOU KNOW, THE ENTITLED LAW, THE ENTIRE LAW. AND REALLY WHAT IT WAS DESIGNED FOR IN THE EARLY 70S HAS BEEN COMPLETELY ERASED. >>SOME LAWMAKERS HAVE SAID WE SHOULD ABOLISH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND ESSENTIALLY BUILD SOMETHING NEW. WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? >>YEAH, I THINK TRUMP HAS PROMISED TO ABOLISH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BEFORE. AND I MEAN THE THING IS, LIKE, THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO THAT SO EVEN PEOPLE WHO LOVE THE IDEA LIKE THAT JUST CAN'T HAPPEN THAT WAY. CONGRESS WOULD HAVE TO, DECIDE TO ELIMINATE IT AND TAKE ACTION. NOW, IS THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WILDLY BAD AT ITS JOB AND INEFFECTIVE? YES. SO DOES IT MAKE SENSE, FOR MAJOR CHANGES TO BE MADE THERE? ABSOLUTELY, LARGELY BECAUSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT EVEN JUST LOOKING AT STUDENT LOANS AND PELL GRANTS, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING. THEY'RE SO BAD AT THAT KIND OF THING THAT FALLS, YOU KNOW, IT'S THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. SO IT CERTAINLY DOES MAKE SENSE TO, TO TAKE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND POTENTIALLY SHIFT THEM TO OTHER AGENCIES THAT HAVE A GREATER EXPERTISE IN THAT. BUT PROMISES TO GET RID OF THE DEPARTMENT NOT SO MUCH. BUT DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOME CHANGES AND ADMIT HOW WILDLY INEFFECTIVE IT IS? YES. >>YOU MENTIONED PARENTAL RIGHTS AND SCHOOL CHOICE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO SOME OF THOSE LOWER INCOME FAMILIES. WHY DO YOU THINK WE'RE NOT HEARING MORE ABOUT THIS WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL CHOICE? AND AS A VOTER ISSUE >>WELL, AGAIN IT'S LARGELY BECAUSE HISTORICALLY, WE KNOW THAT VOTERS DON'T USUALLY VOTE ON THAT ISSUE. SO EVEN THOUGH THE POLLING IS OVERWHELMING, IT'S MOST OVERWHELMING ACTUALLY WITH BLACK AND HISPANIC PARENTS, IN TERMS OF SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL CHOICE. SO YOU WOULD THINK THAT THE DEMOCRAT WOULD SAY, OH, IT'S REALLY POPULAR WITH OUR BASE AND OUR MOST LOYAL VOTERS. WE'RE IN FAVOR OF IT. BUT BECAUSE THE UNIONS ARE SO AGAINST IT AND THE UNIONS PUMP ALL THEIR MONEY INTO THAT PARTY AND BECAUSE IN MOST CASES, WHAT THEY FIND IS THAT THAT ISSUE DOESN'T REALLY GET PEOPLE TO CHANGE THEIR VOTE. THEY STILL TAKE THOSE VOTES FOR GRANTED. WE'VE SEEN FEW EXCEPTIONS WHERE THAT'S BEEN A DIFFERENT THING, BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVEN'T SEEN THE VOTING PATTERNS ON EDUCATION ENOUGH THAT WOULD GET THEM TO REALLY DO THE RIGHT THING ON BEHALF OF THESE PARENTS AND THESE VOTERS >>DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH FOR PARENTS DEFENDING EDUCATION ERIK