EdChoice Chats

In this episode of the State of Choice podcast, host Ed Tarnowski talks with Katherine Schulze, 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 Schulze 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 n...

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 thro...

December 2024 State Updates 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: Aft...

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!