In this episode of the State of Choice podcast, host Ed Tarnowski talks with Katherine Schulze, Nathan Sanders, and Aaron Gillham about all the exciting momentum across the states this legislative session.

Of the eight states–Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming–that created or expanded choice programs in 2025, six now offer programs with universal eligibility, meaning any student may apply to participate. New Hampshire took it a step further by securing true universal education choice.

State of Choice: 2025 Legislative Session in Review

On this edition of EdChoice Chats, host Mike McShane talks with Katherine Bathgate, the CEO and founder of SchoolForward, about her new paper Rethinking ESA Policy Design: A new approach to financial accountability. They talk about the ideas in the paper, ESA policy, the risk of misuse and fraud in ESA programs, and so much more.

EdChoice Chats: Rethinking ESA Policy Design with Katherine Bathgate

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."
Carl sits down with Bria Jones. Her title is Customer Success, Wakelet & bulb, and in this role she is focusing on the curation space for both educators and learners. Find out how Bria defines an “unexpected idea spark.” 

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Live at ASCD + ISTE with Bria Jones

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

Carl sits down with Leonardo Ortiz Villacorta (aka Leo). Leo is a leader in communications, global social impact, and public affairs at Pokemon.

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Live at ASCD + ISTE with Leo Ortiz Villacorta

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."
Carl sits down with Victoria Andrews. She’s Partner, Professional Learning at Getting Smart. In this role, Victoria is focusing on closing the gap in AI media literacy.
This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Live from ASCD + ISTE with Victoria Andrews

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

Carl sits down with Lexi Daly, Learning Innovation Coordinator and Reading Teacher at Trinity Episcopal School in New Orleans. Find out how this self-proclaimed non-coder creates her own mini-games using AI.

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.


Live from ASCD + ISTE with Lexi Daly

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark."

In this episode, Carl sits down with Heather Brantley, Events and Community Specialist at Curipod. Listen to find out how Curipod replaces an expected AI bot with a human!

This episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by EdSurge Solutions Studio.

Live from ISTE+ASCD with Heather Brantley

As industries evolve and the skills gap widens, the question remains: How can we better connect education to employment? 


In this episode of The Idea Spark, host Carl Hooker welcomes Jennifer Wilkerson, VP of Innovations and Advancements at NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research), and Andy Dunaway, Product Manager, Career Connected Learning at Pearson. Together, they explore how credentialing, industry alignment, and strong partnerships help students move from the classroom to meaningful careers. Using construction as a lens, this conversation highlights scalable strategies for building career-ready pathways across CTE programs and beyond.


This week's episode of The Idea Spark is brought to you by Pearson, NCCER, and the EdSurge Solutions Studio team.

Career Readiness in the Real World

In this episode of State of Choice, host Ed Tarnowski talks with Michael Torres, Director of Legislative Strategy at the Classic Learning Test (CLT), about how CLT is challenging the SAT and ACT by offering a liberal arts-based testing.

Torres shares the story of CLT’s founding, its rapid growth—especially after Florida’s adoption of the test—and ongoing efforts to expand into other states despite pushback. The conversation also explores the impact of standardized testing monopolies on education policy and curriculum, the importance of competition in testing, and CLT’s new initiative to create an alternative to Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams.

State of Choice with Michael Torres from Classic Learning Test

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.

State of Choice: 2025 Legislative Session in Review

EdChoice

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