School Choice Report

What if you could revolutionize your child’s education with just one decision? As we wrap up Season 2, guest host Guy Ciarrocchi sits down with Andrew Campanella, President of National School Choice Week, to explore how families across the nation are breaking barriers and discovering the power of educational freedom. With National School Choice Week just days away (January 26 – February 1, 2025),...

In this episode of the School Choice Report , guest host Rachel Langan, Senior Policy Analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation, is joined by Marc Magee, CEO and Founder of 50CAN. Together, they delve into the findings of 50CAN's groundbreaking survey, which captured insights from over 20,000 parents across all 50 states. Discover how parents view school quality, after-school activities, mental healt...

You're in for a treat! In this episode of School Choice Report , host David Hardy interviews Rachel Langan, Senior Education Policy Analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation, about Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. These programs offer tax-credit-funded scholarships for low-income students to attend private schools, provid...

In the latest episode of School Choice Report , host David Hardy sits down with Stacey Whomsley, a passionate school board director from the Westchester Area School District in Pennsylvania.  Stacey shares her personal journey advocating for school choice, fueled by her experience as a mother of special-needs children and the difficulties they faced during the pandemic. She reflects on the distric...

In Season 2's seventh episode, School Choice Report host David Hardy is joined by Kerry McDonald, Senior Fellow at Foundation for Economic Education. Together they discuss the benefits and challenges of homeschooling and highlight the growth of micro schooling and other innovative education models in the US while emphasizing the importance of teacher involvement in driving educational innovati...

In this episode of the School Choice Report podcast, host David Hardy is joined by Norton Rainey, CEO of ACE Scholarships, based in Denver, Colorado. ACE Scholarships is dedicated to providing children from low-income families with scholarships to private schools for grades K-12 and advocating for expanded school choice. David and Norton delve into the significance of school choice and its potenti...

In this episode of the School Choice Report podcast, host Dave Hardy sits down with Joelle Fortin, a dedicated mom of five and former public school teacher with over a decade of experience. Joelle shares her inspiring journey of transitioning from the traditional public school system to the innovative world of micro schooling. Amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Joelle began homesc...

Get ready for an electrifying episode of the School Choice Report! Commonwealth Foundation President and CEO Charles Mitchell sits down with former US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos for an inspiring and insightful conversation. Together, they share their unwavering commitment to unlocking every child's potential and empowering families with the freedom to choose the best educational path f...

We're excited to welcome back Professor Robert Strauss to the podcast! In this episode he joins host David Hardy to discuss teacher retention and its significant challenges in Pennsylvania, with Professor Strauss highlighting the history of teacher preparation programs and the difficulties in hiring and retaining teachers. Later they discuss the barriers in recruiting and retaining teachers of...

In this episode of School Choice Report, guest host Guy Ciarrocchi interviews Don Asplen, CEO of Achievement House Cyber Charter School. They discuss what cyber charter schools are as well as their benefits. Currently, nearly 70,000 Pennsylvania children attend one of the fourteen cyber schools in the Commonwealth. They are at the forefront of the fastest growing sector of education in Pennsylvani...

An advocate turned school choice advocate, Keisha Jordan is a woman on a mission. In this episode of School Choice Report, host David Hardy and Ms. Jordan discuss charter school options, student outcomes, education savings accounts, and the need for more courageous people to stand up and support school choice. Listen in and let us know what you think!

🎙️ Get ready to dive into the electrifying SEASON 2 premiere of School Choice Report! Join your host, the dynamic David Hardy, as he engages in a riveting conversation with none other than the distinguished economist, Professor Robert Strauss from Carnegie Mellon University. 🔍 Embark on an exhilarating journey through Professor Strauss' illustrious career, characterized by his unwavering comm...

In this special School Choice Report episode, host David Hardy and guest Andrew Campanella (Chairman and CEO of the National School Choice Awareness Foundation) explore different school choice options for families, National School Choice Week events, and the advancement of school choice opportunities across the nation. What has Andrew found to work while advancing knowledge of school choice option...

In our School Choice Report Season 1 finale, host David Hardy is joined by Ursinus College Associate Professor of Education John Spencer. Professor Spencer believes schooling ought to be thought provoking, life changing, and relevant to the world beyond school. In his classrooms, he has worked to model the kind of collaborative, intellectually engaging approaches to teaching and learning that he h...

In the latest School Choice Report, Commonwealth Foundation Distinguished Sr. Fellow David Hardy interviews Dr. James Woodworth, Research Fellow with the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO).  They delve into CREDO's studies on charter schools, highlighting their evolution from negative growth in 2009 to significant positive growth in 2023.  Dr. Woodworth emphasizes the importance...

Derrell Bradford is the president of 50CAN : The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now. He leads communications and policy, and trains and recruits local leaders across the country to serve as executive directors of state CANs, advocacy fellows, and citizen advocates. He brings a unique perspective to the school choice movement, and we appreciate this opportunity to have him on the show. 

Our guest in this episode is CEO and President of Pennsylvania Families for Education Choice Sharon Sedlar. She strongly believes that parents are uniquely qualified to make educational decisions for their children, and the rights of those parents should be respected; that there is no single educational offering that will ever suit every special and unique child. Pennsylvania Families for Educatio...

From working to expand tax credit scholarships to educating everyone from elected officials to parents on the benefits of school choice, Stephen (Steve) Bloom is a leading voice on one of the biggest issues facing families today. He’s worked for decades encouraging elected officials to stand against those powerful forces that are trying to prevent children from getting every opportunity to succeed...

What drives someone to take a stand for school choice when his or her peers pose fierce opposition? What are parents who want more educational choice saying to elected officials? What is the path forward for students trapped in failing schools? We tackle all of this and more with our distinguished guest this week, Senator Anthony "Tony" Williams. Senator Williams represents Pennsylvania’...

Margaret “Macke” Raymond is the Director of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) based at Stanford University. She has steered the group to national prominence as a rigorous and independent source for policy and program analysis.  If facts matter to you, then this episode is for you! Through the research Ms. Raymond leads, we are able to understand the significance of school choic...

Ryan Boyer is the business manager of Laborers’ District Council and head of the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council. It’s been written that he’s a no-nonsense operator in the Philadelphia Inquirer, and his recent commentary in the Philadelphia Citizen drives this home.  During this thought provoking episode, Mr. Boyer highlights that we need to do what’s best for children and...

Georgia State Representative and school choice champion Mesha Mainor made headlines across the nation when she left the Democratic Party after her party attacked her when she decided to stand up for disadvantaged students. Rep. Mainor took and continues to take a courageous stand for educational choice, and we’re excited she was able to join the program.

We are excited to have CEO & founder of Q&A,  co-founder of Venice Music, and school choice advocate Troy Carter join the show!  Mr. Carter’s connections to Philadelphia strong, and he’s seen first hand how education choice can open up opportunities for children that wouldn’t otherwise have them. He highlights that even with his own family he sees the necessity of finding the right fit for...

In this episode, host David Hardy sits down with CEO and Executive Director at Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools Janel “Jay” Artis-Wright. Ms. Artis-Wright has spent two decades lobbying, training, organizing and advocating for quality education for the most underserved. As she says in the interview, it’s not so much about being a charter school as it is about having a quality option available...

From discussing the "why" behind the push for school choice to what hope families could and should have on the education horizon, host David Hardy leads intriguing discussions with Senior Fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation Lenny McAllister (@Lennymcallister) and Deputy Director of Parent Voice and Outreach with the National Parents Union Maritza Guridy (@MsG4PhillyEduca).