Lauren May, Director of Advocacy at Step Up for Students – the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization (SGO) – joins the podcast this week to dispel education freedom myths, explain how Florida became a national leader in educational choice, and discuss what to expect from the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. Lauren shares her journey from educator to advocate and describes the evolution of Florida’s school choice landscape, from small scholarship programs launched 25 years ago to universal education savings accounts (ESAs) and other programs serving more than 500,000 students today.

Florida Scholarship Data

Why Catholic Schools Are Growing in Florida: Five Things to Know

Florida’s à la carte learning boom: A special report

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Will AI revolutionize education or steal students’ opportunity and ability to learn? Andy Smarick, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, worries that AI is a threat to learning, and we’re just letting students outsource their education to AI tools rather than develop essential skills and knowledge. We discuss the education world’s long history of embracing the latest fad, whether it’s whole language instruction, open classrooms, ubiquitous screens, and now AI, and we dig into Andy’s call for a two-year moratorium on AI in both K-12 and higher education.

It’s Time for a Moratorium on AI in Schools

The 4 Crises of American Education: Serious people need to take this seriously

White House Summit on Inner-City Children and Faith-Based Schools

Preserving a Critical National Asset: America’s Disadvantaged Students and the Crisis in Faith-based Urban Schools

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Erika Sanzi joins the podcast to discuss the urgent need for states and school districts to undertake “legal housekeeping” and stop violating federal laws. She shares examples of school board policies that hide information from parents, discriminate based on race and sex, and prove that indoctrination in schools is pervasive, and not just limited to certain areas. Erika shares her journey as a teacher, school board member, and parent, and her role in the parental rights movement. Erika is Senior Director of Communications at Defending Education.

Defending Education's IndoctriNation Map: https://defendinged.org/map/

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Jorge Elorza, former mayor of Providence, RI, and current leader of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), is dislodging the “sticky” forces of the K–12 status quo, including the powerful teachers unions. He joins the podcast to discuss the policies and politics of DFER’s education abundance agenda. Jorge also explains how the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit can empower families and why all governors should opt in so students in their states can benefit.

DFER’s National Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (ECCA) Polling

A Democratic Framework for An Abundance Education Agenda

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“Americans of all parties and backgrounds overwhelmingly support school choice – and will vote accordingly.” Brian Jodice, National Press Secretary for the American Federation for Children (AFC), joins the podcast to share the polling that backs up his organization’s proclamation. We discuss the growing support for school choice across the United States and the importance of state participation in the newly introduced Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. Brian also addresses common myths surrounding education freedom and shares personal stories from North Carolina's school choice journey.

National School Choice Survey: September 2025

AFC Fellows

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Natalya Murakhver, the creator of the documentary 15 Days: The Real Story of America's Pandemic School Closures, joins the podcast to discuss the prolonged school closures that harmed a generation of American students. 15 Days highlights the stories of children and parents directly impacted by COVID-era policies and covers the role of teachers' unions in shaping the narrative and downplaying the long-term consequences on academic outcomes, social development, and mental health. To ensure the lessons from closures aren’t forgotten, watch and share 15 Days and attend or schedule a screening in your community.

15 Days Film

Watch 15 Days: The Real Story of America's Pandemic School Closures on X

Restore Childhood

The Covid generation: Best readers ever in fourth grade, worst readers ever by twelfth

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Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner joins Freedom to Learn to explain how Indiana’s ambitious education initiatives are boosting reading scores, revolutionizing high school experiences, and expanding education freedom. Secretary Jenner also shares the state’s quest for flexibility and freedom from onerous federal strings. She describes Indiana’s ESEA waiver application’s key requests: block grants for the state and local education agencies; opportunities to direct school improvement funding to a range of education options; and a unified accountability model.

Indiana ESEA Flexibility Waiver Request

Indiana Choice Scholarship Program

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Matt Frendewey, vice president of strategy at yes. every kid., joins the podcast to discuss the shift from reforming existing systems to empowering families through education freedom. He highlights the inadequacies of the current public school system, the importance of funding design over mere funding increases, and the need for minimal federal involvement in education. The conversation also delves into block grants, accountability in education, and success stories from states that have embraced education freedom.

Na⁠t⁠⁠i⁠onal Survey: Vo⁠t⁠ers Wan⁠t⁠ Local Con⁠t⁠rol Over K-12 Educa⁠t⁠⁠i⁠on

Title I: Rich School Districts Get Millions Meant for Poor Kids

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If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a thumbs up, share it, and subscribe for more insights into education law and policy. Thank you for your support!