podcastED: reimaginED executive editor Matt Ladner interviews EdChoice’s Jason Bedrick

On this episode, Ladner and Bedrick discuss Bedrick’s new report, Who’s Afraid of School Choice? The report investigates the frequently intense and dramatic rhetoric used by education choice opponents dating to the 1990s and examines its validity, pondering the question: Has education choice  “destroyed public education” as opponents claim?

Offering proof that these claims are baseless, Ladner and Bedrick discuss academic performance in states with established choice proliferation, demonstrating that a rising tide lifts all boats and that choice expansion tends to coincide with improved outcomes in traditional school districts.

"What actually happens in these states? Is it true public schools end up defunded and you have this catastrophic effect on its performance? In fact, the answer is no, not even close … Clearly these claims are 'Chicken Little' claims."

EPISODE DETAILS:

• The study’s compilation of four decades of alarmist choice rhetoric including some of the more outlandish and dramatic claims
• How 25 of 28 studies of choice programs demonstrate a positive impact on traditional school districts
• Positive NAEP and AP scores in states with expansive choice options
• How education choice provides an incentive for district schools to improve