Show-Me Institute Podcast

Susan Pendergrass speaks with AEI's Rick Hess about his new book "The Great School Rethink". Learn more about the book: https://www.aei.org/research-products/book/the-great-school-rethink/ Frederick M. Hess is a senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he works on K–12 and higher education issues. The author of Education Week’s po...

David Stokes, Elias Tsapelas, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss more than $500 million in line-item vetoes by Governor Parson, the plan to increase the use of license plate readers in St. Charles County, what Missouri can learn from Florida public policy, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

David Stokes, Elias Tsapelas, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss changes to St. Louis water rates, a new standardized test coming to Missouri schools, the challenges of increasing transparency in hospital pricing, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Trish Flanagan is the executive director of Building Futures: Design and Build Workshop. Founded in 2012, by Gay Lorberbaum, Paul Krautmann, and Frank Lorberbaum, Building Futures: Design and Build Workshop began as a year-round Saturday workshop focused on supplementing the education of the under-served young people in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Aaron Hedlund, David Stokes and Elias Tsapelas join Zach Lawhorn to discuss the most recent report on inflation in the U.S., the daunting task of updating Missouri's Medicaid enrollment data, and the intriguing idea of privatizing the water utility in the City of St. Louis following a string of over a dozen water main breaks over the weekend. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Matthew Ladner is executive editor of redefinED. He has written numerous studies on school choice, charter schools and special education reform, and his articles have appeared in Education Next; the Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice; and the British Journal of Political Science. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and received a master's degree and a Ph. D. in...

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Mark A. Calabria about new mortgage regulations designed to increase equity in home ownership, if today's housing market has echoes of the pre-2008 market, what higher interest rates for longer could mean for first-time home buyers, and more. Mark A. Calabria is a senior advisor to the Cato Institute. He provides strategic input and direction on the federal economic p...

David Stokes, Patrick Ishmael, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to put a bow on the legislative session, discuss new restrictions on short-term rentals, and calls to increase security in downtown St. Louis following a rash of car break-ins around Busch Stadium. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass, Elias Tsapelas, and David Stokes join Zach Lawhorn to discuss the end of 2023 Missouri legislative session. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

On May 9, 2023, Jay Nordlinger delivered a talk titled “Adventures in Journalism” at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. During the talk, Nordlinger surveys today’s media landscape with what has become frequent dismay. “We’ve never had so much journalism and so many outlets, which is great,” the National Review senior editor says. “But politics and journalism have merged, and … I’ve se...

Susan Pendergrass speaks with former superintendent John C. Carver. John writes about education policy at growthringsjcc.blogspot.com Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

On April 26, 2023, the Show-Me Institute, in partnership with EdChoice and Show-Me Opportunity, hosted a virtual event featuring EdChoice’s Marty Lueken, Director of Fiscal Research & Education Center, and Mike McShane, Director of National Research, join Show-Me Institute’s Director of Education Research, Susan Pendergrass. You can watch video of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL...

James Shuls, Elias Tsapelas, and David Stokes join Zach Lawhorn to discuss the latest on the Missouri budget process, get an update on education legislation, why some Missourians are going to be surprised by the increase in their property tax bills, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Daniel DiSalvo about his new report Big City Pensions and the Urban Doom Loop. Daniel DiSalvo is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a professor of political science in the Colin Powell School at the City College of New York–CUNY. DiSalvo’s scholarship focuses on American political parties, elections, labor unions, state government, and public policy. He is...

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Will Flanders about what Missouri can learn from Wisconsin's educational choice programs. Will Flanders is the Research Director at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. Together with the education policy team, Dr. Flanders conducts econometric research on the application of WILL’s principles of freedom and liberty to the educational system in Wisconsin. Since jo...

Ben DeGrow is the Policy Director of Education Choice for ExcelinEd. Ben worked nearly two decades in state-based public policy, providing expert analysis in school choice, school finance and more. In his time at Colorado’s Independence Institute and Michigan’s Mackinac Center for Public Policy, he led dozens of studies and research project initiatives while also managing or supporting various coa...

Patrick Ishmael, David Stokes, and Elias Tsapelas join Zach Lawhorn to discuss recent changes to language used in University of Missouri System job listings, the progress on the state budget process, the upcoming elections, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

David Stokes, Elias Tsapelas, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss the start of the second half of the legislative session, the tax cut bill moving through the House, upcoming ballot items and the status of the open enrollment bill. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

On March 21, 2023, the Show-Me Institute hosted a virtual event with Senator Jim Talent and Heritage Foundation’s James Jay Carafano. They discussed rising tensions between the United States and China, the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the possibility of conflict over Taiwan, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Adam Peshek is Senior Director and Senior Fellow at Stand Together Trust, where he focuses on education policy. Prior to joining STT, Peshek spent eight years in leadership positions with ExcelinEd, including managing policy director. In this role, Peshek provided strategic support to state leaders interested in developing and implementing policies that expanded educational options for children. H...

Susan Pendergrass speaks to Allison Schrager about inflation, the Federal Reserve's next move in light of panic in the banking sector, how supply-side reforms can boost the economy and more. Allison Schrager is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a City Journal contributing editor, where her research focuses on public finance, pensions, tax policy, labor markets, and monetary policy. Sh...

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Dr. Paul Hill about his career in education reform, the current state of school choice, and more. Paul T. Hill is the founder of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, and Emeritus Professor at the University of Washington Bothell. His current work focuses on re-missioning states and school districts to promote school performance; school choice and innovation; fi...

Susan Pendergrass speaks with AEI's Andrew G. Biggs about what can be done to address the looming crisis of the insolvency of America's social security system. Read Dr. Biggs' recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal: https://on.wsj.com/3KSCwet Andrew G. Biggs is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies Social Security reform, state and local government pensions,...

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Andy Smarick, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, about how the 2022 campaign and election cycle provided an opportunity to better understand whether national issues and narratives around education match those at the state level. Read Andy's full report here: https://bit.ly/3ECp4Hr Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass, Elias Taspelas, and David Stokes join Zach Lawhorn to discuss film and entertainment tax credits, Susan's break down of state and federal funding for education in Missouri, freezing property taxes for people over 65, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity