Morning Wire XX
[0] A new report reveals that homeschooled students are outscoring their peers on college readiness tests.
[1] We look at the data and outline the reasons for all the homeschooling success.
[2] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[3] It's January 7th, and this is your Saturday edition of Morning Wire.
[4] One of the most significant historical and religious sites for Jews and Christians is, for the first time, now being fully excavated and open to the public.
[5] We're talking about two Olympic -sized swimming pools of an acre and a half in size of the remainder of the pool of Ceyloam.
[6] We speak to one of the men helping to head up the historic project.
[7] And superheroes, sequels, and more superheroes.
[8] We break down the most highly anticipated movies of 2023.
[9] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[10] Stay tuned.
[11] We have the news you need to know.
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[18] A new college entrance exam reveals encouraging news for homeschooling families.
[19] On the new test, homeschooled students scored higher than their public, private, and charter school peers.
[20] Here to tell us more about the.
[21] results and what exactly they're measuring is Daily Wire Culture reporter, Megan Basham.
[22] So, Megan, tell us about this exam.
[23] Hey, Georgia.
[24] Well, the results come from a standardized college entrance exam known as the classical learning test, or CLT for short, and it focuses on aptitude and achievement grounded in the liberal arts tradition.
[25] Now, what that means, according to the designers of this test, is that it focuses on reading passages from classic texts written by what they call individuals whose writings have had a lasting influence on culture and society.
[26] Now, that's a little bit different from the kind of thing that we see with the SAT and ACT, where they lean a little more on contemporary, literary, and history texts.
[27] So Houston Christian University analyzed the results of 12 ,000 students who took the CLT between 2016 and 2021, and it found that homeschoolers earned a mean score of 78 points out of a possible 120.
[28] Well, private school students earned a mean of 75, and charter school students scored a mean of 73.
[29] Public school students were ranked at the bottom of all of those cohorts with a score of 66.
[30] So the study's author noted, and I'm quoting here, this is consistent with prior research findings of superior academic performance of homeschool students as compared to other school types.
[31] Now, that said, the homeschool advantage primarily showed up on the verbal and writing sections of the test, and those are qualitative by nature.
[32] They scored about the same as private and charter school students on the quantitative portions of the test, things like math.
[33] But they did outperform public school students there as well.
[34] Now, what about some of the more mainstream tests like the SAT and ACT.
[35] Do we see that same pattern?
[36] Yeah, we do.
[37] Home school kids outperform on those test as well.
[38] So the results for the CLT were pretty much in line with what researchers have found on the SAT, ACT, and a lot of those other well -known standardized tests.
[39] On the SAT, for example, homeschoolers as a group score about 72 points higher than a national average.
[40] The ACT gap is a little less pronounced, but it is still there.
[41] And I can tell you that in prepping for this segment, I spent a lot of time looking around at a lot of studies, and I couldn't find any research.
[42] that would negate these findings.
[43] But on the other side of the coin, critics of homeschooling will point out that you don't have to take these tests.
[44] So parents who are confident that their homeschooling has been successful are going to be more likely to sign their kids up for testing than parents who don't expect their kids to do well, or at least that's what critics say.
[45] However, homeschooling proponents would respond to that by saying that really all college entrance exams are self -selecting, so no high schooler has to take them.
[46] Now, I guess the big question is, why are homeschoolers performing so well?
[47] Yeah, you know, there's a number of reasons that researchers are pointing to, and one of the big ones is that homeschooling is able to personalize learning, and they may also have less distractions from things like bullying or other social pressures.
[48] And then, of course, homeschool parents are going to tend to be highly invested in their children's education, and that on its own is going to tend to result in higher performance.
[49] But the researchers who are skeptical that it's the education method itself causing the difference point out that demographically, homeschoolers have tended to come from wealthier, more stable backgrounds.
[50] One study, for example, found that 97 % of homeschool students live with married parents, and that's not the case for many public school students.
[51] But there was a homeschooling boom in urban areas.
[52] during the pandemic.
[53] So it's possible we could start to see those numbers change.
[54] What we do know is that whatever the cause, these advantages do seem to last into college.
[55] For example, going back to another study, it found that 67 % of homeschoolers who attend college go on to graduate.
[56] And for public school students, that number was only 59%.
[57] Well, back in the day, when I was a public school teacher, I had close to 40 kids in my class.
[58] So this really checks out for me. Megan, thanks for reporting.
[59] Yeah, my pleasure.
[60] That was Daily Wire reporter, Megan Basham.
[61] Coming up, a major historical and religious site for Jews and Christians is about to open to the public.
[62] Last week, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced that one of the most significant historical and religious sites for both Jews and Christians, the pool of Salaum, would be fully excavated and open to the public for the first time.
[63] Historically, Jewish pilgrims would go to the pool for ritual cleansing, and, of course.
[64] according to the New Testament, it's the site where Jesus healed a blind man. Joining us to discuss is Zev Orenstein, the director of international affairs for the City of David Foundation, which is heading up the project.
[65] Welcome, Zev.
[66] So there's a lot of excitement from both the Christian and Jewish communities about this announcement.
[67] First, give us, if you would, some context.
[68] How did this project get started and why is it so significant?
[69] So in 2004, at the southern end of the city of David, which is the historic site of biblical Jerusalem, Back in 2004, there was a sewage pipe, and that sewage pipe burst.
[70] But Jerusalem is not just another municipality, and the city of David is not just another part of Jerusalem.
[71] And here, when a sewage pipe bursts, you don't only send in construction crews, you also send in archaeologists.
[72] And in repairing the sewage pipe, they had inadvertently ended up discovering a series of stone steps dating back some 2 ,000 years to the time of Jesus.
[73] And the archaeologists immediately understood that there was only one other set of steps in all of Jerusalem that looked like the steps that had been decided.
[74] discovered in the city of David, and those were the southern steps, also with deep significance to Christians and Jews alike, those were the steps that led up to the temple two thousand years ago.
[75] And that began an excavation of what would turn out to be the pool of Saddam.
[76] But at that time in 2004, due to property rights, we were only able to excavate, together with the Israel of Authority, about 5 % of the pool.
[77] And that left up until literally this week, the remaining 95%, where according to the historian Josephus, say on Passover some 2 ,000 years ago, you would have had nearly 3 million pilgrims cleansing themselves in this giant ritual bath before ascending up to the temple.
[78] And so what's about to happen is that for the first time in 2 ,000 years, the entirety of the Pool of Siloam is going to be excavated and made open to the public to connect with one of the most significant sites in all of Jerusalem's biblical heritage.
[79] Amazing.
[80] And so when will the project begin?
[81] I assume this is a staged process, correct?
[82] Sure.
[83] It's actually already begun, but the exciting thing is that the area is going to be open so that visitors will be able to, one, visit the existing area of the pool of Saoam in the city of David that's been excavated, and while they're already visiting there, to observe the ongoing archaeological excavation as more and more of the pool will be brought to light.
[84] Really exciting stuff.
[85] Now, you're saying this specific pool dates back more than 2 ,000 years, and the original pool actually goes back even further, is that correct?
[86] Sure.
[87] So the original pool of Ceylon, the Bible tells us in Second Kings, when King Hezekiah, direct descendant of the biblical King David, when he was in the process of protecting Jerusalem from the impending Assyrian invasion, he prepares a whole underground water tunnel that would feed into a pool that he also designed, which was the pool of Ceylon.
[88] So the pool that we are uncovering today goes back 2 ,000 years in the time of Jesus, but the original pool of Ceylon actually goes back 700 years before Jesus to the time of the biblical King Hezekiah.
[89] And so what will be interesting to see for the archaeologist is if they're able to actually find both pools, both the pool from 2 ,000 years ago, but also perhaps portions of the pool dating back some 2 ,700 years ago.
[90] And so both from the Jewish perspective, from the Christian perspective, it's going to be a very, very exciting next couple of years.
[91] And anyone who has a connection to Jerusalem's biblical heritage, which you're talking about billions of people.
[92] This is really going to be a fight that is unprecedented.
[93] A remarkable development.
[94] Zev, thanks so much for joining us.
[95] That was the City of David Foundation's Zeb Orenstein.
[96] 2022 saw a handful of standout successes in the box office.
[97] Now industry execs are hoping to bring even larger crowds back to theaters in 2023.
[98] Joining us to discuss is Daily Wire contributor, Christian Toto.
[99] Christian, thanks for coming on.
[100] Now, what's on the docket for movies and TV coming up this year?
[101] You know, I think the best way to sum it up is more of the same.
[102] More sequels, more prequels, more superhero films, and also movies and TV shows based on existing properties.
[103] And that's what Hollywood loves to do these days.
[104] They want that brand identity.
[105] It's really important.
[106] It kind of cuts through the noise and gives them a slightly better chance of making some money along the way.
[107] What are a couple of the standouts that you think people should keep an eye out for?
[108] Well, two really jump to mind.
[109] One is Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning.
[110] That particular franchise just keeps getting better.
[111] Of course, Tom Cruise is coming off Top Gun Maverick.
[112] And also Oppenheimer, that's the creation of the atomic bomb.
[113] This is from director Christopher Nolan.
[114] If you don't know his name, you know his movies, Inception, the Batman trilogy, Tenet.
[115] You know, he is a really first -class filmmaker, and he's always bringing excellent cast along with him.
[116] So even when he fails, it's a big swing and a miss. I think there is a bit of superhero fatigue creeping into the public, but you still can't bet against those movies.
[117] He's Guardians of the Galaxy, Part 3, is coming out, and that one has been very successful over the years.
[118] Also, John Wick, Chapter 4, it's another story where the franchise seems to be getting better, and I think there's a lot of goodwill for Keanu Reeves is star.
[119] He just seems like a nice person, you know, with all the headlines you hear about actors and tabloids gone awry.
[120] Everything you hear about him is he's a nice fellow.
[121] He kind of leans into his brand, and again, this is a franchise that knows exactly what it needs to deliver, and it always does.
[122] Now, you've written about some of the more quirky and interesting films that are coming out, for example, Cocaine Bear, Barbie.
[123] What do we know about those?
[124] Cocaine Bear is based on a true story, and if you go Google it, you'll be surprised what the real details are here.
[125] So it just has a lot of buzz right now.
[126] The trailer came out.
[127] People were talking about it on social media.
[128] Now, it could be a hit.
[129] It could be, oh, my gosh, I need to see it.
[130] Or it could be like snakes in a plane where the pre -release buzz was so much fun.
[131] And then no one actually showed up in the theater.
[132] So we'll have to wait and see that one comes February 24th.
[133] But the one I'm most curious about here is Barbie, obviously based on the popular toy.
[134] You've got Marga Robbie.
[135] Is it going to be a comedy?
[136] Will it be satirical?
[137] Will it have a feminist edge?
[138] Or it'll be all the above?
[139] We don't really know yet.
[140] But we've just got a quick teaser a few weeks ago.
[141] But I think there's a lot of curiosity behind that film.
[142] I know I'm among them.
[143] Now, what about prestige TV series?
[144] Have you heard about any buzzy new TV series that are either going to be new or returning this year?
[145] Well, I think among the biggest is succession.
[146] That one has been a darling for critics and audiences.
[147] Season four is on the way.
[148] There was a coup attempt in the last season.
[149] It didn't quite go as well as they planned.
[150] It's just that, again, it's one of those shows that everyone seems to like it.
[151] It's on HBO, a wonderful cast.
[152] But I'm rather curious about two other shows.
[153] One is Justified City Primeval.
[154] Of course, that's Raylon Givens, is back.
[155] Timothy Olivan.
[156] It was a great, great series, a sort of neo -Western.
[157] Wait, this is justified, rebooted?
[158] Yes, yeah.
[159] Not all the characters.
[160] are coming back, but some are, and it's going to be set in Detroit, not in the south.
[161] So you have a significant change there.
[162] Will they be able to kind of recapture the show's old glory?
[163] It remains to be seen.
[164] Also, History of the World Part 2, Mel Brooks's classic film is coming back in TV form.
[165] You know, how can you replicate what he did back in the, I guess, were the late 80s or late 90s?
[166] I don't know.
[167] He's got some comedy heavy hitters behind him kind of in the creation process.
[168] It seems a dangerous task because whenever you kind of meddle with something that people love so much is always the risk of failure.
[169] And just a quick aside, I worked in a video store in the 80s and everyone would ask me, where's History of the World Part 2?
[170] And I can't just say, there is no such thing.
[171] It's kind of part of the joke.
[172] Part 1 is just the joke.
[173] But part two is really coming our way this year.
[174] All right.
[175] Well, Christian, I'm looking forward to watching some of these.
[176] Thanks for coming on.
[177] That was Daily Wire contributor and editor of Hollywood in Toto, Christian Toto.
[178] another story we're tracking this week.
[179] President Biden said Thursday that the U .S. would immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans who crossed the border from Mexico illegally.
[180] Well, that's all the time we've got this morning.
[181] Thanks for waking up with us.
[182] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.