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Podcast

#948: School choice setbacks: Interpreting the referenda losses with Colleen Hroncich

Colleen Hroncich Michael J. Petrilli David Griffith, Ph.D. Adam Tyner, Ph.D.
12.4.2024
 

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Colleen Hroncich, a policy analyst with the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, joins Mike and David to discuss why pro–school choice ballot measures failed in Kentucky, Nebraska, and Colorado—and what it means for the future. Then, on the Research Minute, Adam shares a study examining 100 years of data on elite private and public colleges, revealing persistent gaps in socioeconomic diversity despite changes in racial and geographic representation.

Recommended content:

  • Colleen Hroncich, Neal McCluskey, “Referendum Losses Are No Mandate against School Choice,” Real Clear Education (November 8, 2024).
  • Juan Perez Jr., “Republicans’ big idea for remaking public education hits voter resistance,” Politico (November 27, 2024).
  • Michael McShane “Op-ed: Despite blows, school choice swept the ballot this election,” Chalkboard News (November 14, 2024).
  • Ran Abramitzky, Jennifer K. Kowalski, Santiago Pérez & Joseph Price, The G.I. Bill, Standardized Testing, and Socioeconomic Origins of the U.S. Educational Elite Over a Century, NBER (2024)

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at [email protected].

Policy Priority:
School Choice
Topics:
Governance
Colleen Hronicich
Colleen Hroncich

President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Michael J. Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, executive editor of Education Next, editor in chief of the Education Gadfly Weekly, host of the…

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David Griffith is the National Research Director at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he manages or authors reports on various subjects including charter schools, …

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Adam Tyner was a member of the Fordham Institute's national research team from 2017 to 2025. In 2025 he became executive director of the Oklahoma Center for Education Policy at the University of Oklahoma.

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