EdChoice Chats

On this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane, Director of National Research at EdChoice, talks with Michael Bindas, Senior Attorney at the Institute for Justice, about his new paper titled "School Choice is Racist and Other Myths."

In this episode of Sunday School Choice: Where Faith Meets Education Freedom, host Nathan Sanders is joined by Troy McIntosh from the Ohio Christian Education Network, a ministry of the Center for Christian Virtue, to talk about their School Starting Manual—a practical and faith-driven guide designed to help pastors and church leaders launch Christian schools. As more churches across the country explore how to start education ministries, this manual serves as a clear and proven blueprint. If you've ever asked, “How do we start a school?”—this episode is for you.

In this episode of the State of Choice podcast, host Ed Tarnowski talks with Katherine Schultz, Nathan Sanders, and Aaron Gillham about school choice updates across the US, including some very exciting news from Texas.

On the latest episode of Sunday School Choice: Where Faith Meets Education Freedom, we talk with Shawn Peterson, President of Catholic Education Partners. We explore the powerful role Catholic education has played—and continues to play—in the United States, providing not just academic excellence, but a deeply rooted faith-based learning experience for families.

Dr. Doug Richey—a former pastor and Missouri state representative—shares his unique perspective on the intersection of faith, education, and public policy. With 26 years of pastoral ministry and six years in the Missouri House of Representatives, Ritchie offers a compelling case for why churches should engage in the school choice movement and how to do it practically.

On the latest episode of the State of Choice podcast, Ed Tarnowski and Katherine Schultz welcomed Trish Donahue, Senior Vice President of Legal and Policy at HopSkipDrive, to talk about a topic that's critical but often overlooked in school choice conversations: transportation.

In the premiere episode of Sunday School Choice, we talk with Pastor Tom Kakadelis about what it means to be a church school pioneer in today's education landscape.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, John Kristof and Mike McShane talk about the new report School Starter Checklist Rankings; a compendium of regulations on private schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In this episode of State of Choice, host Ed Tarnowski talks with Katherine Munal, Aaron Gillham and Nathan Sanders about school choice updates in their states. The push for universal education choice continued to gain traction in March, with Wyoming becoming the latest state to adopt an Education Savings Account (ESA) program open to all students. The development marks another key milestone in a national movement that has seen rapid legislative activity in recent years.

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Ben Scafidi and Colyn Ritter about the 2025 EdChoice Friedman Index: All Students, All Options, All Dollars.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, Mike McShane talks with Colyn Ritter and Cooper Conway about the 2025 Funded Eligibility rankings. Fully funded eligibility means that every student in a state with a choice program can also receive the resources needed to participate.

In this episode of State of Choice, host Ed Tarnowski talks with Katherine Munal, Aaron Gillham and Nathan Sanders about school choice updates in their states including some huge news in Tennessee!

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Colyn Ritter and Robert Enlow about the 2025 EdChoice Share which tracks the proportion of K-12 students in every state that are enrolled in a private school choice program. 

In this episode of State of Choice, host Ed Tarnowski talks with Patricia Rucker, a state senator serving West Virginia's 16th district, and the national chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council. She shares her inspiring journey as a first-generation American from Venezuela, her experiences as a teacher and homeschool parent, and her leadership in championing universal school choice through the HOPE Scholarship in West Virginia. The conversation highlights the challenges and triumphs of implementing school choice, its impact on families, and the role of data and advocacy in shaping public opinion and policy.

Ep. 417: State of Choice - December 2024 by EdChoice

In this episode of State of Choice, host Ed Tarnowski talks with Katherine Schultz, Nathan Sanders, and Aaron Gillham about state election results and how they may impact the state of choice.

In this episode of State of Choice, host Ed Tarnowski talks with Dr. Vance Ginn, chief economist at Pelican Institute for Public Policy and founder and president of Ginn Economic Consulting. Also featuring: Katherine Munal, Policy & Advocacy Director, and Joey Magaña, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy.

In this episode of State of Choice, Ed Tarnowski is announced as the new host of the podcast, the Policy & Advocacy Team gives its monthly state update, and each team member participates in the first segment of ed freedom fallacies. Also featuring: Caitlin Lee, Director of Policy & Implementation; Katherine Munal, Policy & Advocacy Director; and Aaron Gillham, Policy & Advocacy Director. Note: After reaching an agreement in a committee of conference to instead increase the program's FPL to 425%, the final version of the bill could not garner enough support to pass the House. New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account Program will not see an expansion this year.

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, longtime Hill staffer and education policy expert Lindsay Fryer talks with Mike McShane and Rick Hess about the state of American higher education, the federal government's role in it, and what is going on with FAFSA.

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with family policy expert Patrick Brown about fertility rates, childcare policy, and protecting children online.

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, host Dorian McCarroll talks with Virginia Walden Ford, Howard Fuller, Sekou Biddle, and Gerard Robinson on the 70th anniversary of the landmark decision of Brown v Board of Education, and how the education system is still impacted by it today.

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Jon Pidluzny, Director of Higher Education Reform at America First Policy Institute about higher education. They talk about whether the US higher education system is still the best in the world, the complex issues of student loans, ballooning education costs, and so much more.

Indiana's first Secretary of Education, Dr. Katie Jenner, talks with EdChoice's Mike McShane on how she's trying to get education right with her efforts in teacher recruitment, strategic measures for student success and more.

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, Mike McShane talks with Angela Watson, senior research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, about homeschooling research. They also talk about her new resource, the Homeschool Hub.

In this May episode of “State of Choice” hosted by the EdChoice Policy and Advocacy team, we talk about school choice across the states and provide updates on school choice legislation.

In this April episode of “State of Choice” hosted by the EdChoice Policy and Advocacy team, we talk about school choice across the states and provide updates on school choice legislation.

We go over our monthly polling results for the last few months and highlight all the most interesting trends and data. And shocker! Teens love their cellphones!

In this episode of “State of Choice” hosted by the EdChoice Policy and Advocacy team, we talk about how Alabama passed landmark legislation advancing choice in the state. Plus, we highlight our favorite advocates in the choice movement for Women's History Month.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, Robert Enlow, CEO and President of EdChoice, talks with Lindsey Burke, from the Heritage Foundation, and Macke Raymond, from the Hoover Institution.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, Robert Enlow, CEO and President of EdChoice, talks with Curtis Valentine co-director of the Reinventing America Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute. They discuss the Rosenwald Schools and a number of other topics including how education was formed and started, our current public education system and its impact on communities of color.

The EdChoice state team gives us a summary of all the recent happenings in the states. Find out more in the podcast!

For this episode of EdChoice Chats we have a special edition celebrating Black History Month where we talk about school choice in communities of color and the ever-growing support for it.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane is joined by John Kristof and Alli Aldis to talk about EdChoice's monthly and semi-annual polling and what it reveals about the state of education in the United States.

In this episode of EdChoice Chats host Marty Lueken digs into his new report which explores hold harmless funding; declining enrollment protections and funding guarantees. Guests James Shuls and Aaron Smith join.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Alli Aldis and John Kristof about October's monthly polling results. We asked a range of questions focused on K-12 education, including our usual monitoring of public opinion toward school choice options. In this month's poll, we also introduced new questions about gifted academic programs and education technology.

EdChoice CEO Robert Enlow talks with Colyn Ritter and Marc LeBlond about the 2024 edition of The ABCs of School Choice.

On this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Colyn Ritter and John Kristof about the recent EdChoice teacher polling. Topics including students' social media use, absenteeism, classroom disruptions, how likely they are to recommend their profession, and more.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Sonia Park, executive director of the Diverse Charter School Coalition. McShane and Park talk about what they are trying to achieve, the actual practices that go on in these diverse by design charter schools, and also the public policy that's necessary for them to start and grow, and be part of the charter school landscape.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, Mike McShane talks with Alli Aldis and John Kristof about the September 2023 monthly polling data. What concerns are at the forefront of parents' minds in these early days of the 2023-24 academic year? The first challenge for today's school parents may be keeping students in the classroom and off their phones.

The EdChoice state team gives us a summary of all the recent happenings in the states. It's been an exciting month with North Carolina expanding the Opportunity Scholarship. Find out more in the podcast!

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, Mike McShane talks with John Kristof about his new paper Surfing the Pipeline: Understanding Pathways into Teaching in Alternative Models of Schooling. They discuss the many new opportunities that are being made available all across the country with entrepreneurial educators starting up new and different school models such as microschools, hybrid homeschools, and more.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, we dive into our most recent survey of American teens where we tackled such questions as "How can school leaders and teachers maneuver the emergence of modern technology within the classroom?" and "What can be done to resolve mental health and absenteeism?"

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Ron Matus, director of research and special projects for Step Up For Students in Florida, and Lauren May, director of advocacy for Step Up For Students. Matus and May have a new paper called "Why Catholic Schools in Florida are Growing: Five Things You Need to Know." We dive into this paper and the five things we need to know!

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Andy Prieto and Mark Strickland of Dade Prep, where they are going to help answer the question, "What's up with Dade Prep?" Dade Prep is a credit recovery secondary school that generally targets older students who have been truant or who have otherwise become disconnected from the education system and helps them with credit recovery, to graduate, and then enter the workforce.

In this edition of EdChoice Chats, we dive into our monthly poll results on education-related issues including public sentiment on the direction of K-12 education, what values parents want schools to teach their children, support for school choice, and more.

Calling all teachers who want to start their own schools! Mike McShane has CEO and founder of Primer, Ryan Delk on the podcast to talk about the work Primer microschools is achieving. Primer gives the top 1% of teachers the tools and preparation needed to launch their own schools, while also allowing their students to set their own pace and pursue their passions.

The Three Languages of School Choice is a starting point for the next wave of educational freedom. For education freedom to truly take hold in the United States, the school choice movement must reclaim its politically multilingual roots and adapt them for today's political age. In this episode, Mike McShane talks with the paper's author, John Kristof, as well as with Neal McCluskey, Director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute, and Gerard Robinson, Professor of Practice in Public Policy and Law at the University of Virginia.

How are schools growing their numbers in staff members without growing the same number in students? Ben Scafidi joins Mike McShane to talk about his recent report, Priorities of State and Local Governments From 1994 to 2022 which highlights the public schools' staffing surge over the years.

“Where do you typically receive information about K-12 education?” The EdChoice Research team asked that question and many others to America's public and school parents. Listen today to find out the team's most notable findings.

With the session ending, the EdChoice state team has given us a summary of all the recent happenings in the states. It's been an exciting year for school choice so far with seven states enacting new programs and nine states expanding their existing programs, seven of those nine being nearly universal.

Mike McShane, Colyn Ritter, and John Kristof talk about what's inside Schooling in America, including the data that stood out to them the most.