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Podcast

#970: Big moves in the Lone Star state: ESAs come to Texas, with Genevieve Collins

Genevieve Collins Michael J. Petrilli Amber M. Northern, Ph.D. #970: Big moves in the Lone Star state: ESAs come to Texas, with Genevieve Collins
5.21.2025
 

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Genevieve Collins, Texas State Director for Americans for Prosperity, joins us to discuss Texas’s newly passed Education Savings Account bill—an ambitious policy that could position the Lone Star State as a national leader in school choice. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber highlights a Michigan study showing that simply being flagged for third-grade retention can boost students’ reading scores—even if they aren’t actually held back.

Recommended content: 

  • “A Texas-Sized Win for Families in the Trump Education Era” —Genevieve Collins, RealClear Policy
  • “Jeb Bush: Texas’ Education Savings Account Victory Can Set Nationwide Standard” —Jeb Bush, The74
  • “How Genevieve Collins, Americans for Prosperity, Are Shaping Texas’s Future” —Daily Caller
  • “The Impacts of Grade Retention Policy With Minimal Retention” —Jordan S. Berne, Brian A. Jacob, Christina Weiland, Katharine O. Strunk, EdWorking Papers (May 2025)

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

genevieve collins

Genevieve Collins is a proud 7th generation Texan. She is a former Congressional Candidate in Dallas where she still resides. Genevieve spent 12 years at Istation, an Education Technology company, focused on improving student reading achievement. She is a former NCAA Championship and US Olympic Development Team rower.

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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Amber Northern is senior vice president for research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where she supervises the Institute’s robust research portfolio and…

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