EdChoice Chats - podcast cover

EdChoice Chats

EdChoiceedchoice.org
EdChoice Chats is the EdChoice team’s official podcast. EdChoice is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing educational choice as the best pathway to successful lives and a stronger society. We believe families, not bureaucrats, are best equipped to make K-12 schooling decisions for their children. Our team works at the state level to educate diverse audiences, train advocates and engage policymakers on the benefits of high-quality school choice programs. Listen in to stay updated on the latest controversies, messaging hacks, legislation, litigation and research related to school choice in America. For podcast inquiries, please contact Chantal at media@edchoice.org.
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Episodes

Ep 33: Cool Schools | The Oaks Academy

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, our Director of National Research Mike McShane continues our “Cool Schools” series with an interview with CEO of The Oaks Academy Andrew Hart. They talk about the classical Christian school network’s mission to provide excellent education in a racially and socioeconomically integrated environment near downtown Indianapolis. To learn more, visit www.edchoice.org.

Feb 13, 201833 min

Ep 32: How Florida Families Use ESAs with Jason Bedrick & Lindsey Burke

Today, EdChoice released its latest research, a report on how Florida families are using the state’s Gardiner Scholarship Program, an education savings account (ESA) program for primarily for students with special needs. Visit www.edchoice.org/PersonalizingEducation to download the full report.

Feb 07, 201815 min

Ep 31: Future Louisiana Voucher Research with Jonathan Mills

In today’s EdChoice Chat, Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Drew Catt talks with Jonathan Mills, senior research associate in the University of Arkansas’s Department of Education. Jon talks about his current research projects, what he’s learned from collaborating with a diverse team and how research can be useful for parents and To learn more about educational choice, visit www.edchoice.org.

Jan 30, 201820 min

Ep 30: Our 2018 School Choice Yearbook Superlatives

Our VP of Communications Jennifer Wagner was joined by our Research Assistant Mike Shaw, our Senior Director of State Relations Michael Chartier and our VP of Legal Affairs Leslie Hiner to give a glimpse behind the scenes of how our team determined our 2018 yearbook superlatives. What are they; what's our reasoning and what makes deciding so tough. Learn more at www.edchoice.org.

Jan 26, 201818 min

Ep 29: 2018 National School Choice Week with Andrew Campanella

Today on EdChoice Chats, we’re listening in on a conversation between EdChoice’s President and CEO Robert Enlow and his friend Andrew Campanella, the president of National School Choice Week. They talk about how National School Choice Week got started, how it has grown and what it means for the school choice movement. To learn more about school choice, visit www.edchoice.org.

Jan 23, 201814 min

Ep 28: Researchers to Watch with Frederick Andersson, Christian Buerger & Mike Ford

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, our Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Drew Catt interviews three up-and-coming school choice researchers: Frederick Andersson and Christian Buerger of IUPUI and Mike Ford of the University of Wisconsin. They talk about why they chose to research school choice, their current and future projects and tips for other school choice researchers. For more information, visit our website at www.edchoice.org.

Jan 18, 201818 min

Ep 27: Urban Sprawl, the Environment and School Choice with Bart Danielsen

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, our Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Drew Catt talks with Dr. Bartley Danielsen, the author of a three-part blog series on concentrated poverty, pollution, urban blight and gentrification and how school choice could fit into the overall solution. They discuss what inspired this research, what the data say and more. Click below to listen, and be sure to check out all of the posts in this fascinating series. 1. Could We Solve Poverty and Pollution w...

Jan 11, 201825 min

Ep 26: Cool Schools | ASU Prep Digital

In our new "Cool Schools" series, our Director of National Research Mike McShane is not just celebrating innovative schools across America, but also opening minds to what is possible in education. In this episode, he spoke with Amy McGrath, COO of Arizona State University’s ASU Prep Digital and associate vice president of ASU Educational Outreach, about her cool school—how it came to be, how it’s different from other schools out there, how she measures success and what she has learned along the ...

Jan 04, 201830 min

Ep 25: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going? with Robert Enlow

In this podcast episode, EdChoice Vice President of Communications Jennifer Wagner chats with President and CEO Robert Enlow about the year behind and the year ahead. They discuss the major school choice events of 2017, including Arizona’s education savings account (ESA) expansion and EdChoice’s own rebrand. Then they dive into what we expect and hope for in 2018, as we continue our mission to advance educational opportunity for all Americans. To learn more about EdChoice, visit our website at w...

Dec 18, 201711 min

Ep 24: Behind the Scenes with EdChoice’s Research Team

A few members of the EdChoice research team jumped in the studio to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about (you guessed it) our research. Listen now to learn more—from the services we provide the states to how we respond to critics of our work.

Dec 15, 201721 min

Ep 23: Legal Defense and Education Center with Leslie Hiner

Our Vice President of Communications (and a lawyer in her own right) Jennifer Wagner sits down with our Vice President of Legal Affairs Leslie Hiner to introduce EdChoice's new Legal Defense and Education Center, or LDEC. Learn why we developed this new center and what type of work we'll be doing to help protect educational choice programs across America in this episode. For more information about EdChoice, visit www.edchoice.org.

Dec 08, 20179 min

Ep 22: 2017 Schooling In America Survey with Paul DiPerna & Team

Get the key findings from EdChoice’s annual survey of Americans on education issues and more, with a special focus on small town and rural families as well as new questions about the role of the federal government. The authors of our Schooling in America Survey—Paul DiPerna, Michael Shaw and Andrew D. Catt—join us in this episode to talk what's new, survey results and what's next. For the full report, visit www.edchoice.org/NationalSurvey2017

Nov 29, 201724 min

Ep 21: Legal Look Ahead with Leslie Hiner

The EdChoice team is investing more than ever in tracking school choice, children’s rights and teachers’ rights in the courts. Our VP of Communications Jennifer Wagner sat down with our VP of Legal Affairs Leslie Hiner to talk about the state of legal affairs in the school choice movement right now, what’s on the horizon and the supports EdChoice will provide to school choice’s defenders. Listen now!

Nov 20, 201716 min

Ep 20: The Homogenization of Schools with Lindsey Burke & Corey DeAngelis

In this podcast, EdChoice’s Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Drew Catt chats about the effects of school choice regulations on the homogenization of schools with the report’s authors Lindsey Burke—director of the Center for Education policy for the Heritage Foundation, an EdChoice fellow and doctoral candidate at George Mason University—and Corey DeAngelis, policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, policy advisor for the Heartland Institute and a distin...

Nov 16, 201722 min

Ep 19: The Pension Crisis with Michael Podgursky & Marty Lueken

In today’s episode, Dr. Marty Lueken, EdChoice’s director of fiscal policy and analysis, chats with Dr. Michael Podgursky, professor of economics at the University of Missouri. The two break down teacher pensions—how they work, why they’ve created problems and how school choice can help. For more information about school choice in America, visit www.edchoice.org.

Oct 26, 201746 min

Ep 18: Surveying the Military with Lindsey Burke & Paul DiPerna

Our new research, Surveying the Military, is the first of its kind and methodology to delve deeper into former and current military families’ thoughts on K–12 education in America. This 2017 survey of 1,200 active-duty military servicemembers, veterans and their spouses aims to help policymakers and the public better understand this important population’s perspectives on school choice policies, the military profession and more. Co-authors of this new EdChoice report, Paul DiPerna and Lindsey Bur...

Oct 16, 201728 min

Ep 16: New Research on Charter School Funding Inequity with Pat Wolf

In our latest podcast, EdChoice’s Drew Catt talks with Dr. Patrick Wolf, who has researched various forms of school choice for decades. Dr. Wolf explains the results of his latest co-authored report, Charter School Funding Inequity in New York City. Listen to get a summary of the report’s findings. For more information about school choice in America, visit www.edchoice.org.

Sep 22, 201717 min

Ep 15: Why IN Parents Choose Survey with Drew Catt & Evan Rhinesmith

Researchers Drew Catt and Dr. Evan Rhinesmith examine the responses of Indiana school parents from all sectors to a survey—developed by EdChoice and conducted by Hanover Research—that aims to measure what motivates them to choose K–12 schools, their children’s schooling experiences, their awareness of school choice options, their satisfaction levels and goals they set for their children’s education. Get the full report at www.edchoice.org/WhyINParentsChoose

Sep 20, 20179 min

Ep 14: IL’s New School Choice Program with Jason Bedrick & Robert Enlow

In this installment of EdChoice Chats, our President and CEO Robert Enlow talks with Director of Policy Jason Bedrick to get the details on Illinois’s new tax-credit scholarship program—the Invest in Kids Program. They first cover how the program works and who it serves. Then, they dive into the politics of passing a school choice program in such a tough state. They also discuss the program’s weaknesses and our hopes for its future, in spite of those weaknesses. For more information about school...

Sep 12, 201716 min

Ep 13: Parties and School Choice with Leslie Hiner & Jen Wagner

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, Jennifer Wagner, our vice president of Communications, gets together with Leslie Hiner, our vice president of Programs, to talk about political grassroots coalition building and how it can be helpful to our movement, to passing school choice programs and, ultimately, to helping children. For more information about school choice in America, visit https://www.edchoice.org.

Sep 05, 201717 min

Ep 12: Race, Segregation and School Choice with Robert Enlow

In our latest podcast, our Vice President of Communications Jennifer Wagner joins EdChoice President and CEO Robert Enlow in a frank dialogue about issues of race and segregation in K–12 education, how school choice fits into the puzzle and whether your personal politics should matter more than your personal philosophies. Listen now! Learn more about EdChoice, the organization, at https://www.edchoice.org/.

Aug 29, 201716 min

Ep 11: The Threat to Arizona ESAs with Jason Bedrick

In this installment of EdChoice Chats, our President and CEO Robert Enlow taps Arizona resident and EdChoice Director of Policy Jason Bedrick for a rundown of what’s going on in Arizona right now. Arizona has been a pioneer state in the school choice movement in many ways, and this year they expanded their education savings account (ESA) program to nearly every K–12 student. That expansion is now under threat. Listen to find out who’s behind it, why they’re attacking the program, the latest deve...

Aug 17, 201711 min

Ep 10: How Regs Hurt Kids with Special Needs with Jennifer Burgess

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, Jennifer Burgess, a Georgia mother of two who's fighting for educational options for her 4- and 5-year-old sons John and Joseph, joins EdChoice Marketing Coordinator Abby Hayes, also a mother of two, to discuss—from a parent’s perspective—the strengths and weaknesses of our current public education system when it comes to serving students with special needs. Learn more at www.edchoice.org.

Jul 25, 201722 min

Ep 9: What Really Happened with Nevada's ESAs with Michael Chartier

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, our President and CEO Robert Enlow gets candid with Director of State Engagement Michael Chartier about what went down this past legislative session with Nevada’s education savings accounts, or ESAs. Learn more about educational choice across the country at www.edchoice.org.

Jul 19, 201714 min

Ep 8: Teachers Just Want to Teach with Stanton Skerjanec

In this episode of EdChoice Chats, EdChoice VP of Communications Jennifer Wagner is joined by Stanton Skerjanec, a teacher in Fort Collins, Colo. who shared some of his views on educational choice, the challenges he has faced as a supporter in a family of public school educators and more. Listen now!

Jul 11, 201718 min

Ep 7: Where We Stand on Federal Education Reform Policy with Robert Enlow

In this episode, our Vice President of Communications Jennifer Wagner is joined by our guest EdChoice CEO and President Robert Enlow to discuss what's going on in federal education reform policy and where EdChoice stands. Listen to learn more. Learn more about school choice and to access our library of research and data at www.edchoice.org.

Jun 21, 201727 min

Ep 6: Studying Families’ Access to Schools with Kristin Blagg

Our Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Drew Catt is back with a new EdChoice Chat. In this episode, Kristen Blagg, research associate at the Urban Institute's Income and Benefits Policy Center, joined him to discuss the recent report she co-authored with Matthew Chingos: "Who Could Benefit from School Choice? Mapping Access to Public and Private Schools." Listen on to learn more about what their study found!

May 31, 201714 min

Ep 5: Back to the Staffing Surge with Ben Scafidi

Our latest report—“Back to the Staffing Surge”—measures US public school employment growth versus student growth as well as teacher salary fluctuations and student outcomes over the past 65 years using publicly available data that state departments of education annually report to the U.S. Department of Education. The results were shocking. Tune into this podcast where EdChoice Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Drew Catt sat down with “Back to the Staffing Surge” author Dr. Ben Scafi...

May 09, 201715 min

Ep 4: NH K–12 & School Choice Survey with Kate Baker

In our latest state research, the New Hampshire K–12 & School Choice Survey, EdChoice researchers and policy experts Drew Catt, Jason Bedrick and Paul DiPerna analyze the responses of a representative sample of New Hampshire voters on K–12 education issues, including school choice reforms and the current ESA bill. One of the authors of the poll report, EdChoice Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Drew Catt, sat down to discuss this new survey with long-time school choice advocate ...

Apr 19, 201716 min
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